Yandy Nunez, the Cuban mountaineer who began his climb to Everest during the recently concluded season in the Himalayas, spoke with CyberCuba from his hospital bed in Nepal and shared his experiences in the canceled expedition abruptly after get sick from COVID-19.
He says he is “coming out” of a “tragedy” because that is how he describes what he has experienced in the last four weeks, away from his family. Added to this is the frustration of not having been able to reach the top of the world.
Summiting Everest becomes a postponed goal, perhaps for next season or who knows if for the next. You can't specify it.
How do you feel?
I'm coming out of this tragedy, as I say. Everything I experienced was a great tragedy, but I am alive and that is the fundamental thing.
COVID destroyed my dream of reaching Mount Everest, that great feeling that I had and that I have, because it destroyed my dreams this year, but it could not end my life. As a result of the consequences of COVID, I had extremely serious consequences.
When did you start to feel bad?
I reached Camp 3 of Everest, at 7,200 meters. Then, in the acclimatization process, we went down to Base Camp and stayed there for a few days waiting for a window [opportunity] to ascend. The weather was bad and we had to wait.
Base Camp was riddled with COVID-19. When I arrived at Camp 3 it was the end of April, and when we returned to summit it was May 17. Being at Base Camp, days before starting the final ascent, my body begins to feel a little strange.
I wasn't breathing the same, I started to feel a little agitated and it got worse until it almost ended my life. I felt very tired and it seemed strange to me because during the entire expedition I did not feel bad for a single day, not with high mountain symptoms, no headaches, nausea, nothing.
The plan was to reach Camp 2, at 6,500 m high, spend two nights there to rest, climb to Camp 3, spend the night and then ascend to Camp 4. Camp 4 is called the death zone because there There is no longer acclimatization and your body begins to slowly die. Your cells are weakening. We were only supposed to stay there for a few hours and then go out to the summit.
It must be said that to get from Base Camp to Camp 2 you have to cross The Khumbu waterfall is the most terrifying thing you can imagine, because it is a glacier covered in ice with cracks that you have to cross. It's Russian roulette.
In fact, there was an accident this season
And, passed away a Sherpa at the same waterfalls. He fell into one of those cracks.
When did you decide to abandon the expedition?
That day we left at dawn on May 17 from Base Camp to Camp 2. I was already feeling bad. Even so, I cross the Khumbu waterfall, but when I reach the Camp 1, I see that something was wrong in my body. I decide to continue towards Camp 2 because, if I returned, I had to cross the Khumbu waterfalls again. I arrive at Camp 2 completely destroyed. At all times I thought that what I had was asthma.
What saved me is that instead of spending two nights at Camp 2, we stayed three nights, due to bad weather. And I spent those three nights in my tent, without spirit, without energy and with tremendous lack of air. There was a moment when I was afraid to sleep alone in the tent. I felt pain in my chest.
Take us to the moment you leave for Camp 3. What makes you decide to ask for help?
The night before I told my wife, through GPS messages, that I was feeling very bad and that if I sent her a “Do it” or “Rescue” message, something like that, she should request it immediately. That was my first step. That whole night I slept with oxygen.
The next day, we were going to ascend at approximately 10:30 in the morning. We got up early that day. Before leaving, I tell the Sherpa that if I don't reach the vertical cracks in an hour, I'll give him a signal and we'll cancel the expedition... To get to Camp 3 you have to cross some vertical cracks and then climb a 90-degree covered slope of ice. If I didn't reach the cracks, I wouldn't have the strength to climb the slope.
I didn't walk even seven meters... I turn and signal to the Sherpa. The helicopter could not arrive that day due to bad weather. Not even the next day. I was already very scared, with pain in my chest, speechless.. I went a day and a half without the rescue.
When the helicopter arrived I couldn't move. The Sherpas helped me. I had to take a break and walk. COVID destroyed me completely. Never in my life had I felt something as strong as that.
You arrive at the hospital, they do the PCR. What did you feel when you got the positive result?
I did not give importance to the PCR, I saw it as something normal. About three hours later, the doctor comes and tells me “you are positive for COVID and you have pneumonia in your right lung.” And there I said, Oh my God! I, without knowing it, ascended to Camp 2 having COVID.
On the second day of being in the hospital, I found myself with terrible pain in my legs. I couldn't stand and I associated it with muscle pain from so many hours of effort. They do an ultrasound and find blood clots in my feet, a result of COVID.
I explain to you: When they discovered the clots, they put me on anticoagulants and a clot went to my lung. There I saw black things. And I started to cry. I was very scared and had difficulty breathing again and I thought that was it…
I'm in the hospital right now, but I feel very good. Tomorrow I'm going to a hotel. The plan was to go to Iceland, but due to problems that do not depend on me, but on the airlines, and because Nepal is closed [due to the pandemic], I have to fly with oxygen.
When are you returning to Iceland?
Well, I don't know whether to travel again or whether to stay here and wait for the next season. The flight is scheduled for July 5, next month.
From March when you left Iceland until July it would be almost four months of separation from your family. Has this scare you've been through changed your perspective?
I often said that if something was going to happen to me, it would happen to me in Iceland. I'm still on medication. The mood returned, because weeks ago I had no energy. I believe that I am alive because I am young, I am strong and thank God I managed to overcome it.
You've been in the hospital for almost a month...
Since May 21. The recovery process is slow. It is a strong virus, and after COVID all it leaves you with is the consequences.
Do you plan to climb Everest next season?
For now I plan to be with my family. I miss my son very much. I call my wife and we talk every day. I thought the expedition was 50 days and I didn't expect that all of this would be extended. But my dream of Everest is there. If I feel energized and feel good for next year, I'll give it a try. I never give up.
I also want to thank all those beautiful people who have sent me messages and comments of support when I was climbing the mountain. I want to send many kisses to all of you because the truth is that you gave me a lot of strength.
What do you think?
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