NABP's 98th Annual Meeting to Feature First Blind Person to Scale Mt Everest

March 4, 2002 12:00 AM

Mt McKinley, El Capitan, Mt Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Mt Everest have one thing in common: they have all been ascended by Erik Weihenmayer, who last May became the first blind mountain climber to scale Everest. Weihenmayer, 32, will discuss these and his other feats of daring when he delivers the keynote address at the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's (NABP) 98th Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 19, 2002, in Phoenix, Ariz.

A former English and mathematics teacher and wrestling coach, Weihenmayer is considered by many to be the most versatile blind athlete in the world. He counts among his accomplishments acrobatic skydiving and skiing, long-distance cycling, marathons, wrestling, and scuba diving. But his true passions are mountaineering,ice climbing, and rock climbing. It has been said of Weihenmayer that "he never let his blindness interfere with his passion for an exciting and fulfilling life."

Weihenmayer's accomplishments have earned him numerous awards, including Connecticut's Most Courageous Athlete Award, ESPN's ARETE Award for courage in sports, the Gene Autry Award, and the honor of carrying the Olympic Torch. Recently, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Glaucoma Foundation.

Besides being an outstanding athlete, Weihenmayer has just published his autobiography, Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See, in which he recalls his struggles to overcome the limits of vision loss and the role his family played in his battle with blindness.

For more information regarding the 98th Annual Meeting, please contact the NABP Meetings Desk at 847/698-6227. Information and registration forms may also be found on NABP's Web site at www.nabp.net.

Courtney Karzen