KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A nonprofit that works to preserve East Tennessee's hills, rivers and natural features held a luncheon Friday afternoon to commemorate its work. There, the first blind man to summit Mount Everest spoke.
Erik Weihenmayer climbed the legendary mountain in May 2001. On his website, he said retinoschisis started developing when he was 14 years old, a kind of eye disease that involves abnormal splitting of the retina. It would later make him blind. Weihenmayer said during the luncheon that he accepted his disability and that adventuring outdoors brought joy into his life.
"We're celebrating what's possible in our lives — what we can achieve with our efforts, with our planning, with all the things that we can grow inside of us and the teams that we build around us," he said during the luncheon.
He said he believes it's important people lift each other throughout life and take time to celebrate the little things.