A South African woman who summited Everest for charity is trading in the cold for extreme heat as she takes on the toughest foot race on earth!
An adventurist at heart, Lee den Hond has taken on many epic journeys of her own to change the journey of hundreds of others.
The endurance athlete has never shied away from a challenge. Some of her greatest quests include Ironman triathlons, Comrades Marathons, Two Oceans Marathons and many more of South Africa’s toughest races.
When den Hond decided to climb Mount Everest she was motivated to reach the top of the world’s highest peak not only by her own grit and determination, but by her vision to build a children’s centre.
The climber went on to not only became the third South African woman to summit Everest, but is today the founder of the Field of Dreams Children’s Centre.
“Initially I planned to hike to Base Camp, then I thought “why just Base Camp, why not the top”’.
None of the South African guiding companies were offering trips to Everest in 2013, so den Hond contacted Canadian expedition company, Peak Freaks – known not just for their 100% safety record, but also for their willingness to allow climbing novices to have a bash.
She spent a week in the Alps learning how to use crampons and other high altitude skills. It was some preparation, but she had no idea what she was letting herself in for. ‘Everest was a gift,’ acknowledges den Hond ‘but I totally underestimated what it would entail.
The biggest challenge was the cold.
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I kept having to say to myself: “Lee, the cold mustn’t manage you, you must manage the cold”.
“And I didn’t have nearly as much help as I’d imagined I would. I’d paid an extra US $5000 for a personal Sherpa who I hoped would essentially be my personal guide. But I soon realised that this was an unrealistic expectation.”
“His English was exceptionally poor, and he was unable to offer me any training. There is one rope on the south side of the mountain, which every climber uses to get up and down.”
“You climb Everest on your own, clipping into the fixed line for safety. I carried my own personal gear, my own oxygen and my own food between camps with very little support from my personal Sherpa.’
Fortunately inspiration and strength came from veteran Peak Freaks lead guide Marty Schmidt. This coupled with den Hond’s innate determination and self-belief that nothing would stand in her way carried her through all the challenges and on Sunday, 19th of May she stood on the summit of Everest, the highest point on earth.
“Summit day was unbelievably tough,’ she concedes. ‘It’s only 848m from Camp 4 to the summit, but it took me 14 hours up and another 9 hours to get back to camp. I was exhausted. The commitment to reach the top came from knowing that so many South Africans were supporting me and essentially climbing the mountain with me.”
The toughest part of all was undoubtedly holding onto her vision despite extremely trying circumstances.
“Each day I was reminded that I was a complete novice. My body had never experienced these heights and I really struggled to adjust to the altitude. And I was cold. The temperatures were exceptionally low. On the first night at Base Camp temperatures dropped to minus 21 degrees C.”
Raising funds for her chosen charity, Carte Blanche’s Making a Difference campaign – which offers help to children whom are heading up their households – was a major motivating factor that carried her through.
“After meeting a 13-year-old boy taking care of his eight-year-old sister I decided to give something back to the Schaumburg community,” she explained.
‘”Several special children had signed their names on the South African flag which I held proudly on the summit so that was a huge moment for me.”
There were other highlights too including the relationships she formed with her fellow climbers, especially the leader of the expedition, Marty Schmidt, who taught and trained her over the course of the climb.
“But the greatest “Gift of Everest ” has been taking away the pure belief that nothing is impossible if you truly believe in it.”
She insists ‘The gift of being able to share my story with children and adults and to inspire them to “climb their own Everest” – to overcome their own personal challenges.”
The dangers of high-altitude mountaineering were all too apparent.
Over 600 climbers summitted Everest in 2013 but there were nine deaths. Then, two months after den Hond and Marty Schmidt stood on the top of the world, there was personal tragedy when Schmidt and his son Denali were killed in an avalanche on K2.
“I feel privileged to have spent so much time with Marty, he was a great man who taught me all the skills required on the mountain. His incredible attitude and his respect for the mountains were awe-inspiring.”
The Field of Dreams Children’s Centre was den Hond’s vision for the children of the Schaumburg community.
Her aim was to build a Centre from funds raised from the Mt Everest climb and the Centre officially opened its doors on 5 December 2015.
A registered NGO situated near Hartebeespoort, Field of Dreams helps communities affected by extreme poverty, neglect, ignorance, apathy and despair. Social problems such as alcoholism, abuse, domestic violence and incest are rife.
The main employment opportunities are still on farms, part-time or casual labour and although new opportunities are arising through on-going development, many inhabitants of the area are still seasonal or migrant workers. Over-crowding is increasing as one-time farm labourers are being forced off uncultivated farms.
The living standards of many people in the area have dropped and little has been done about the allocation of land for informal housing.
“The Schaumburg community consists of about 1200 shacks, housing on average six people each, so the estimated population of this area is about 7 000 residents,” explains Lee.
“Most of the inhabitants are migrant labourers or people who were displaced from neighbouring countries and are therefore not eligible for government grants. There are only two boreholes providing water for this area and there are hand pumps which enable residents to access water.”
“There are no fixed medical or child care facilities, and a mobile clinic visits the area once a month.”
“The nearest clinic is 20 kilometres away at Hekpoort or Broederstroom, and the nearest hospital is in Brits which is 50 kilometres away. As you can be seen, this is a very under-serviced area. The families are characterised by granny headed families, single parents, child headed families because parents are deceased or working far away from their homes, leaving children with extended family members.”
It provides a safe and learner-friendly space for children and adults and includes a Gardening and Sewing Project, a soccer field / pitch where children can play, a Toy and Book Library, and a mobile Clinic, which includes TB Workshops and Testing.
Den Hond has now set her sights on another gruelling challenge, with the goal in mind of making the mobile Clinic a permanent facility.
“The community face a number of health challenges and mostly children between the ages of birth to 12 years are affected,” explains Lee.
“Most children who are brought to the mobile clinic suffer from conditions related to malnutrition such as scabies, skin problems and vitamin deficiency. Many of these children have never received their scheduled immunisations or have skipped a few vaccinations, which predisposes them to secondary infections and illnesses. Many children come in with burn wounds, especially now in winter, as a result of lack of supervision from parents and use of coal stoves.”
“Most of them are suffering from infestations of worms (ringworms and tapeworms) due to poor living conditions. We’ve also had a few cases of poisoning (paraffin or rat poisoning) and diarrhoea and vomiting. Over and above these conditions, there are cases of minor ailments like flu, stomach aches, toothaches, and so on.”
“It’s difficult for these children to receive help from hospitals due to lack of proper documentation (birth certificates), which makes the mobile Clinic so valuable to this community.”
The incredible climber says that the Clinic is sadly only able to be operational once a week but she’s determined to open a permanent and sustainable healthcare clinic that will go a long way in managing present health-related problems.
“A permanent Clinic would mean there’d be an immediate response to treatable health conditions before they complicate. There will be easy access to health care at a time convenient to the community. Medical emergencies will be immediately seen, stabilised and managed and / or referred to other facilities, thus saving lives.”
“There will be continuous support to the parents in as far as health education is concerned and treatable and preventable illnesses will be easily managed and treated if there is access to the clinic every day.”
With this goal in mind, next year, in April 2017, den Hond will be carrying the South African flag again battling temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius, in the Sahara desert as she takes on ‘the toughest foot race on earth’.
Marathon Des Sables is a 251km, seven day race in the Sahara Desert, a notoriously inhospitable environment.
The determined adventurer will compete against elements including relentless heat, unforgiving sand dunes and white hot salt plains, to raise awareness and funds to build a much needed clinic at the Field of Dreams community centre.
The Clinic will address the urgent health needs of both children and adults in the community.
“I will be taking the same South African flag, which has been signed by the children of the community. This flag was with me standing on top of Everest and I plan to take it across the finish line in the Sahara Desert,” she says.
“I believe that it symbolises the hopes and dreams of children in South Africa that are in desperate need of support, nurturing and medical care.”
Be part of this epic journey and join Lee in achieving this vision by making a donation. All contributions, however small, help Field of Dreams Foundation’s work to continue. Their banking details are: Bank: First National Bank, Account Name: Field of dreams Children’s Centre NPC Account Number: 62466883719, Branch Code: 254605, Branch: Sandton, NPO No: 2014 / 047595 / 08.
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