U Of I Professor To Climb Kilimanjaro
KILIMANJARO REGION, Tanzania A 79-year-old Illinois man is hoping to go where former tennis pro Martina Navratilova could not – the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Nancy Harty reports, business professor Paul Magelli is going to promote the power of a healthy heart.
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Magelli had already had three heart attacks by the age of 35, and his identical twin brother died of one.
But next week, Magelli is ready to hike 19,000 feet.
"You can develop a healthy heart despite the fact that you have these blockages," Magelli said.
Magelli will be monitored during the climb, and after, by doctors at the Mayo Clinic, who were a little nervous when Navratilova had to quit 14,000 feet into her climb months ago.
"That created quite a stir, and it sort of reawakened everyone to the challenge of the climb," Magelli said.
If all goes well, Magelli and two other cardiac survivors will climb Kilimanjaro again in six months.
