Crohn's Disease Patient Robert Hill To Scale Antarctic Summit For Intestinal Disease Awareness

Main Category: Crohn's / IBD
Article Date: 27 Dec 2005 - 21:00 PDT

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Crohn's disease patient Robert (Rob) Hill announced today his team's plans to summit Vinson Massif, Antarctica's tallest mountain, in January 2006. The expedition, sponsored by ConvaTec, a world-leading manufacturer of ostomy and wound care products, marks the fifth mountain in Hill's quest to become the first Crohn's patient and ostomate to scale the Seven Summits, the tallest peaks on the seven continents.

By taking on the Seven Summits, Hill hopes to show other people living with intestinal diseases or an ostomy that they should still live their lives to the fullest.

"I know from experience that Crohn's and colitis can be debilitating and make you feel very inhibited -- physically and emotionally," Hill says. "If you are living with these diseases or going through surgery, it's important to know that you can get your life back -- you shouldn't let it define you."

Nearly 1.5 million Americans are affected by Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis(1) (collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, IBD), and approximately 750,000 Americans are living with an ostomy due to either IBD, colorectal cancer or other chronic bowel or bladder diseases.(2)

Fewer than 100 people over the past 20 years have successfully scaled the Seven Summits.(3) The feat is hard on anyone, much less someone without their colon, the organ that is primarily responsible for absorbing water and nutrients into the body.

Each climb Hill makes takes a toll on his body. Keeping up his nutrition and hydration is paramount, but even still, he typically loses up to 15 percent of his body weight on each climb.

Rob's Story: No Guts - Know Glory!

At 23-years of age, Rob was a strong, healthy athlete who had never been sick in his life. Then, confronted with daily diarrhea and sustained, stabbing abdominal cramps, he was eventually diagnosed with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

As his condition grew worse, Hill lost 80 pounds and a year and a half later his large intestine was removed through an ostomy procedure. "When it came down to losing my colon or losing my life, it wasn't a hard decision to make," he says.

Now, 12 years later, Hill is mid-way through a five-year campaign he calls "No Guts - Know Glory!" to become the first Crohn's patient and ostomate to climb the Seven Summits. The campaign grew from Rob's love of sports and the outdoors, pursuits he returned to with newfound dedication not long after surgery.

To date, Hill has successfully scaled four of the Seven Summits -- most recently conquering Alaska's Denali, or Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America in June of this year. The upcoming Vinson Massif climb will not only be Hill's coldest climb to date (average daytime temperature of -20°F), but will also be unique for its strong winds and grueling, arctic terrain. What also separates Vinson Massif from the other Seven Summits is the complete isolation of the mountain and breathtaking views from the summit.

"To think that I would have made it to this point is a dream come true," says Hill. "Once I could barely climb up the stairs from the debilitating pain of living with IBD. To think that I am now one mountain closer to fulfilling my lifelong dream is something that was hard to imagine back then."

For his inspirational efforts, Hill recently was recognized by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) and ConvaTec with an honorary award from the Great Comebacks® Program, which, for more than 20 years, has given special recognition to those whose life stories inspire people living with an ostomy.

Today, Rob continues to break down barriers for people living with intestinal diseases, letting them know that "it's okay to talk about these conditions and not something to hide behind." In 2006, Rob will be traveling to CCFA affiliates nationwide, speaking to patient groups about his own experiences and encouraging people to get out and conquer their own personal summits.

Small Steps, Giant Strides Toward IBD Awareness

Hill began his No Guts - Know Glory! quest in 2002 and has scaled four of the Seven Summits:

-- June 2002, Mt. Elbrus, 18,481 feet (5,633 m), Russia/Georgia, Europe

-- October 2003, Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,339 feet (5,963 m), Tanzania, Africa

-- January 2004, Aconcagua, 22,840 foot (6,962 m), Argentina, South America

-- June 2005, Denali/Mt. McKinley, 20,320 feet (5,895 m), Alaska, U.S.A., North America

Hill currently plans to complete his campaign over the next two years:

-- January 2006, Vinson Massif, 16,067 feet (4,897 m), Antarctica.

-- Summer 2006, Carstensz Pyramid, 16,023 feet (4,884 m), Indonesia, Oceania

-- Spring 2007, Mount Everest, 29,053 feet (8,850 m), located on the border of Nepal and Tibet, Asia

For more information about Rob and the Great Comebacks® Program, please visit www.greatcomebacks.com or www.nogutsknowglory.com.

No Guts Know Glory is the campaign Rob is undertaking as a part of the society he founded - The North American Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society (IDEAS). http://www.ideas-na.com

About ConvaTec

ConvaTec, a world-leading manufacturer of ostomy and wound care products with a 25-year heritage of caring about patients, is a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY). Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related health care products company. For more information, call 800-422-8811 or visit http://www.convatec.com.

http://www.bms.com

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