A double amputee Gurkha who fought along side Prince Harry in Afghanistan has been banned from climbing the Mount Everest, despite training for five years. It is believed that the Nepalese tourism ministry has ruled that double amputees and blind people are to be banned from climbing to try reduce death figures.
Hari Budha-Magar, 38, who served in the 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles, and lost both his legs in a bomb blast in April 2010. The father of two lives in Canterbury, Kent with his wife, two young boys and a daughter, dreamed of climbing the world's tallest peak since he was a child. If he was allowed to climb the peak, he would have been the first person with above knee amputations to do so.
Hari joined the British Army when he was 19. He served the Crown with the Royal Gurkha Rifles for 15 years. He was a part of the Conquering Our Dreams team that consisted of Hari, alongside some of his friends. In this particular case, his friends include Royal Gurkha, U.S. Marine Corps and other special forces veterans Krishna, Christopher, and Mingma. Though he was aware of the harrdships, hw created a crowd sourcing page before the climb and wrote, “this is my dream and I believe this is possible with the right help and support."
Losing both his legs in Afghanistan, not surprisingly Hari suffers from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) but said, “I am a soldier that has been trained to fight. In the past it was an enemy. Today, I fight this injury. I fight to re-establish my mental health. I will live my life fully, help inspire others, learning new skills, relying confidently on my body as it is. It is what I have always done. I owe it to my boys, my wife, and my family. I owe it to my community. I owe it to the men I have served with. I am still Hari.”
Since his injury, Hari has learnt or relearnt to skydive, Alpine and Nordic skiing, kayaking and many other such great sports.
