Hi, my name is Tania and this is day seven of
my 100 days of growth for my podcast Bloom Talks.
So we are a week in. I started this challenge
to step out of my comfort zone, learn how to
create content and show up even when anxiety
makes it hard. Podcast is a place where we're
going to explore. powerful real -life stories.
Each episode dives into true inspirational journeys
of people who endure extraordinary circumstances
and come out stronger. The story of survival
against all odds is Left 4 Dead, the true story
of Beck Weathers. Now imagine this, you're standing
at 29 ,000 feet above sea level higher than any
place on earth where humans can survive without
oxygen. The wind is screaming, the temperature
is minus 40 Celsius, the body is shutting down.
You can't see, you can barely think and people
around you believe you are already dead. Now
imagine waking up, you're alone and you're on
the side of Mount Everest. A man who was left
for dead twice. Beck Weathers on the most dangerous
mountain in the world and somehow lived to tell
the story. Before Everest, Beck Weathers was
not a professional mountaineering. He was a pathologist
from Texas, a medical doctor with a stable career,
a wife and two children, but Beck was also searching
for something. In the early 90s he was struggling
severely with depression. something he later
described as a deep emotional numbness. Mountaineering
became his escape, a place where pain felt purposeful,
where life felt sharp and real. Climbing gave
him clarity, seriously and steadily, eventually
setting his sights on the ultimate challenge,
Mount Everest. In 1996 he joined a guided expedition
led by Rob Hall. He was one of the most respected
Everest guides in the world, founded by adventure
consultants. Sorry, he was the founder of adventure
consultants. This was not reckless tourism. This
was a highly organized professional exhibition,
but Everest does not care about experience, preparation
or reputation. Before the summit attempt even
began, Beck faced a dangerous complication, undergone
eye surgery, corrected vision by making incisions
in the cornea. At high altitude the surgery became
a serious risk. The extreme cold could cause
temporary blindness. Beck informed Rob Hall of
this issue and together they made a decision.
Beck would attempt the summit But if his vision
failed, he would stop and wait for assistance.
On May 10, 1996, Beck began the summit push with
his team. The weather appeared manageable, but
Everest weather can turn without warning. They
barely slept. Oxygen mask was hissing with each
breath, and every step felt like lifting concrete
blocks. As Beck climbed higher, his vision began
to blur. Then it went dark, completely. Blind
at nearly 28 ,000 feet, Beck was forced to stop.
He waited near the south, sitting down in the
snow, oxygen running low, surrounded by climbers
pushing upwards and downwards. Eventually, guide
Mike Groom escorted him down slightly and told
him to wait while help was arranged. Then a storm
arrived. and suddenly a violent blizzard engulfed
the mountain. Temperature plummeted and winds
reached hurricane force. Climbers became disorientated,
lost and separated. Some never returned. Beckweathers
was now alone, blind, out of oxygen and exposed.
He eventually collapsed into the snow. Later
fellow climbers, including Stuart Upton, found
Beck lying face down, his skin frozen solid.
They checked for signs of life, but there was
none. And he showed no response. They made an
impossible decision. At that altitude, staying
meant death for everyone, so they had to leave
him. Beck Weathers was officially considered
dead on Everest. Now imagine this, you regain
consciousness but you cannot feel your hands,
your face is frozen, you cannot see clearly and
you're lying alone on Mount Everest. Somehow
Beck woke up despite having no oxygen, no shelter
and severe hypothermia, his body slowly reactivated.
Your survival instincts took over. Partially
blind, Beck began stumbling towards camp, guided
only by memory and instinct. When he finally
emerged at camp, climbers stared in disbelief.
They were looking at a man they believed was
a corpse. One climber later described him as
looking like a walking dead man, but Beck wasn't
safe yet. Rescue attempts were made, but conditions
were still deadly. Beck's hands, feet and face
were severely frostbitten. Doctors on the mountain
determined he could not survive a descent. Once
again, a decision was made. Beck Weathers was
left behind for a second time. But once again,
he did not die. He survived another freezing
night alone in extreme altitude. Eventually,
against all odds, a helicopter Evacuation was
organised. One of the highest altitude helicopter
rescues ever performed at the time. Beck was
flown off Everest alive. Beck survived but the
damage was catastrophic. He lost his right arm,
most fingers on his left hand, parts of both
feet and his nose. He underwent multiple surgeries
and months of recovery. It was emotional. During
his time on Everest, especially when he believed
he was dying, Beck realised something devastating.
He had emotionally checked out of his life long
before the climb, and now given a second chance,
he knew he had to live differently. Beck returned
home. He rebuilt his relationship with his wife
and his children. of heroism, but as a confession,
a reckoning and a lesson. He became a motivational
speaker speaking openly about depression, purpose,
responsibility, and the danger of emotional withdrawal.
He never climbed Everest again, but he climbed
something far more difficult, a return to life.
So why does Beckweather's story matter? because
survival wasn't just about endurance, it was
about awakening. Beck survived hypothermia, oxygen
deprivation, blindness, frostbite and abandonment
on Everest twice, but most importantly he survived
himself. This story reminds us you can be alive
and still be absent, you can lose everything
and still begin again and sometimes it takes
standing at the edge of death to understand the
value of life. Beckweathers didn't just survive
Everest, he came back changed. Imagine being
written off as dead twice. Imagine waking up
when survival is no longer expected for you and
choosing again and again to keep moving. That
is the story of Beckweathers. A reminder that
as long as you are breathing, it is never too
late to come back to life. Thank you for listening
to Bloom Talks. If you enjoyed this episode,
be sure to subscribe and join us next time for
another incredible journey of resilience. Until
then, stay safe, keep growing and take care.