Stu Saslow, Larry Richards, Mailia Goforth, Dave Koontz and Allen Minton
Well...sort of. You see...Mailia has always dreamed of someday, climbing some of the most majestic mountains on earth, in addition to all the other worldly and sporting activities she breathes life into on a daily basis. Having Eisenmenger's syndrome never dawned on her...that she could not do any of these things.
Three years ago, while at a seminar called Life Directions, Mailia was asked to draw a picture of her ideal life...a scenario where she could picture herself being the most happiest. She drew a picture of herself on top of a mountain in Tibet...holding an eagle stretched out on her arm...saying "I am a warrior of the Light...This is my destiny! And she told her story to 700 people that day and gave the gift of inspiration to so many there.
On the way home from Vancouver, B.C....she insisted she wanted to climb a mountain and that she was ready for it. To humor her so she would stop asking...and so I would rightiously appear apathetic with her, I asked Max to pull over on one of those "view" exits just past Ellensburg ascending Montash Ridge and I proceeded to tell Mailia...okay sweetie, before you are able to launch on one of the bigger mountains, lets start on these small ones first and see how you do.
I helped her out of the Excursion, with oxygen in tow...and told her we would try to climb to the top of this snow covered hill and she would lead the way, and I would carry her O2 from behind...wink...wink. My mom had a saying in Spanish...a dicho which went like this: Tanto quiere el diabol a su hijo que lo persina! That of course, came to my mind...translated it goes like this...The Devil loves his son so much that he will give him the sign of the benediction. Well...what can I say.
Needless to say...Mailia made it a mere 30 feet...and stopped dead in her tracks sobbing and said she could not do it. I felt horrible and grabbed a hold of her and hugged her hard and told her she was and always will be a very powerful being and to never give that power away, especially to a belief.
I encouraged her to keep believing she was capable of doing so many incredible feats, and her life thus far...has been miraculous!
So when my co-workers David Koontz, Larry Richards, Allen Minton and Stu Saslow told us that they were going to be climbing to the summit of Mt. Rainier I quickly asked...if they would PLEASE take Mailia with them! I told Dave...it is not about the mountain...it is the climb and for Mailia, going up with them in spirit held to her own vision and desires. What a gift they were able to give our precious Mailia. They took a full blown photo of her all the way up to the summit of that majestic mountain and told us that "she did just fine...and how it was a privilege to climb with her". We give our heartfelt thanks to these wonderful men and friends for giving Mailia such an incredible opportunity...one for personal growth and extreme happiness!
But there is another interesting facet to all this so please allow me to explain further. For Mailia's 15th birthday last year, it was her wish to meet her idol Michael Phelphs at a Power Within seminar up in Vancouver again. For some reason...that city has our number! Michael Phelps was nixed from the lineup at the last minute so she had to settle for meeting Dr. Mehmet Oz.
There was quite the line-up of motivational speakers...but one that mesmerized and clicked with Mailia was a wonderful man by the name of Jaime Clarke and his childhood dream was to be a mountain climber.
He spent most of his life either preparing for or climbing mountains. And he also had the great fortune to climb the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest.
Little did he know that his greatest reward would not be reaching the peak, but the lessons he learned on the way, because the mountain climber’s true measure of success is not about reaching the top, but the journey it took to get there.
So I wish to include an insert Jaime wrote from his web site Your Summit Awaits and Jaime Clarke
to add one final breath of inspiration to Mailia's Miracle...Thank you Jaime!
Your Summit Awaits...
The dream of the mountain climber is to stand on the summit. The successful climber will stand there for only five or ten minutes.
The preparation and the training to get there? Well that takes five or six years.
It’s very physical training obviously designed to build the body.
It is also designed to PREPARE THE MIND.
Your Summit Awaits Key Concepts
• Make Your Dreams Your Goal
• Care Enough To Confront
• Follow Your Passion Without Obsession
• Keep Your Promises Through Your Actions
• Face Your Fears, Focus on What’s Important
• Thank Those Who Help You to the Top
• Look to the Future, Your Summit Awaits
Key Concept 1 – Make Your Dreams Your Goal
• Don’t be afraid to hold really big dreams
• Make every step, even small one, move you toward your goal
“My Childhood dream was to be a mountain climber.
Key Concept 2 – Care Enough To Confront
• Find the courage to be sincerely honest
• Embrace conflict, ask questions, don’t take it personally
“Life demands that we care enough to confront.”
Key Concept 3 – Follow Your Passion Without Obsession
• Passion fills us with the joy to achieve
• Obsession blinds us from reaching our goals
“Passion will get you to the top, but obsession…obsession will get you killed. And we need to know the difference.”
Key Concept 4 – Keep Your Promise Through Your Actions
• Your beliefs are reflected in the promises you keep
• Make a commitment to keep your word
“In our lives, what matters is not the promises we make, but the promises we keep.”
Key Concept 5 – Face Your Fears, Focus on What’s Improtant
• Momentum is created with the first step you take
• Act boldly, live the life of your design
“Focus on what’s important: the relationships we build, the work we do, the people we care about, the skills we cultivate.”
Key Concept 6 – Thank Those Who Help You To The Top
• Affirm the very best in people
• Value the contributions of others
“It’s important, when we get to the top, to look back and appreciate all the others who made it possible o get there and give thanks.”
Key Concept 7 – Look To The Future, Your Summit Awaits
• Hold a positive image of your future
• Share your dreams
“Go forward in the work that you do and in the life that you live knowing that your summit, however distant, or veiled by clouds, is ready to welcome you”.
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