Disabled Soldier to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro to Raise Awareness for Disabilities Worldwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sandra Ambotaite
Mission Kilimanjaro Climber
571-426-1776
ltsandra@yahoo.com

COLORADO SPRINGS—After breaking her back and suffering a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident in 2009, Fort Carson Army Staff Sergeant Sandra Ambotaite was told she would never walk again. Today, she is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa, along with a team of nine trekkers, including a Marine veteran and a congenital amputee.
   
Ambotaite is climbing as part of Mission Kilimanjaro, a program that challenges military heroes and young people with disabilities that no obstacle is too great to be conquered.

“Mission Kilimanjaro has given me hope that I can overcome my own mental and physical obstacles and motivate and inspire my fellow soldiers and children in Africa,” she says. “Helping others has always been one of my passions, and I believe this trip will be inspirational for me and others around the world.”

Ambotaite’s trip begins January 3 with a visit to Moshi, Tanzania, where climbers will visit the Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind and learn about the difficulties of living with a disability in a third-world country. Climbers hope to inspire children to realize their ability to overcome limitations and transform their perspectives of what is possible in their lives. The team will also deliver more than $25,000 in medical supplies for the children.

The team will then begin the grueling 16-day climb to the 19,341-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Climbers will have to deal with low temperatures, high altitude and high winds, making it a difficult and dangerous trek even for the most experienced climbers.

Ambotaite, an immigrant from Lithuania, joined the U.S. Army in 2003 to learn more about the American way of life. She was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, then deployed to Baghdad, working as a medical regulating specialist. She is currently undergoing the medical board process at Fort Carson.

To learn more about Ambotaite’s journey or to make a donation for Mission Kilimanjaro, visit www.crowdrise.com/SandraAmbotaite or download this letter from Ambotaite.

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Sandra Ambotaite is a client of Operation TBI Freedom, a privately funded statewide program of Denver Options. Learn more about Operation TBI Freedom.