It took a year of training and six hours of hard work, but Amber Dennis reached the summit of Mount Kosciuszko on Sunday with her usual irrepressible smile still on her face.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Amber, who has cerebral palsy, walked around 13 kilometres of the 18.4 kilometre climb, using her sports wheelchair for just a short portion of the strenuous trek.
The 19-year-old climbed Mount Kosciuszko for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Krazy Kosci Klimb, raising over $15000 for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, who have supported her since birth.
Amber said in a release that the 18km adventure taught her that nothing is impossible for anyone who has goals and great support.
“Going down was actually much harder than going up. I thought it would be easier, but it was much harder. I was so tired, by the end I could hardly even stand up,” she said.
“It was a very emotional thing to go through, but it was so satisfying to reach the top and it felt nice to know there were lots of people to support me, especially my mum, sister and cousins.”
Amber took the climb on hand in hand with her mother Angela Dennis and sister Lona-May.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance senior program co-ordinator Angela Dives also climbed the summit, and said she was amazed by Amber’s determination and magnetic personality.
“Setting goals and being able to achieve them is really good for self esteem and confidence and it allowed her to be a bit of a role model for other kids with barriers and be able to let them know that there are challenges and they can achieve their dreams if they work hard,” she said.
Amber was deeply encouraged by the community’s support during her training.
SEE ALSO
“She would walk around the town of Inverell, and people were honking their horn, and wishing her well and going up and giving her high fives in the street,” Angela said.
“That also inspired her to keep training, feeling she has the support of the community was really wonderful for her.”
One of 18 participants with cerebral palsy to take on the annual climb, Amber made solid friendships along the way.
The Cerebral Palsy Alliance works out of Armidale to service the New England area with supports such as speech pathology and occupational therapy. They have helped Amber with precise wheelchair prescriptions to ensure maximum comfort and mobility.
A Christmas toy raffle at Armidale City Bowling Club was a significant fundraiser for Amber’s trek, with over $5000 of prizes on offer.
“She wants to thank the Armidale community for getting behind her and supporting this dream of hers,” Angela said.