US Army Staff Sergeant Sandra Ambotaite: Finding the Summit Within

For US Army Staff Sergeant Sandra Ambotaite climbing the world’s largest freestanding mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, not only represents the challenge of a lifetime, it’s an opportunity to prove to people around the world that no obstacle is too great to be conquered. 

In June 2009, Sgt. Ambotaite was involved in a motorcycle accident in Baghdad, Iraq that changed everything. Ambotaite’s spine was severely injured. She was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and told that she may never walk again. But Sandra refused to give up.

In 2010 Sandra connected with Operation TBI Freedom. “My care coordinator was a veteran herself, she understood what I was going through. I could call her any time I needed to talk,” Ambotaite explains. “She helped me move forward from my military career. It was really hard when my squad went back to Iraq and I could not be with them, but then I realized that there were other opportunities out there for me.”

On January 3, 2012, Operation TBI Freedom’s Sgt. Ambotaite will join Mission Kilimanjaro on a 16-day ascent up Africa’s tallest mountain. Mission Kilimanjaro comes together under one objective, to send a message to the heroes in our veteran community and to kids with disabilities around the world, that regardless of any challenge, no obstacle is too great to be conquered.

For Ambotaite, climbing the 19,341-foot mountain is worth every step. “I want to make this world a better place one step at a time until we reach the summit," says Ambotaite. "This journey not only helps me overcome my own mental and physical obstacles, it helps me inspire people around the world to do the same thing.”

Before the hike, the Kilimanjaro team will visit Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind in Tanzania, Africa to deliver medical supplies to more than 600 children living with a disability. 

To make a donation or learn more about US Army Staff Sergeant Sandra Ambotaite visit: www.crowdrise.com/SandraAmbotaite. For more information on 2012 Mission Kilimanjaro team visit: www.missionkilimanjaro.com.

Learn more about Operation TBI Freedom, a program of Denver Options.