RAJASTHAN: It’s an exceptional feat of endurance, passion and courage. When Neelima Arora stood alone at Mount Everest on May 25, 2026, she wasn’t celebrating just a mountaineering achievement but the completion of a journey that doctors had repeatedly warned she might never survive. At 8,849 metres above sea level, where oxygen levels are barely one-third of those at sea level and every breath feels a battle, Neelima became the first woman in the world with thalassaemia minor to successfully scale Mount Everest.
Her remarkable feat has earned Neelima a lot of international recognition. But behind that historic moment lies a lesser-known but inspiring saga of exemplary determination, countless sacrifices, and a family that lived with months of anxiety and uncertainty.
Born and raised in Jaipur, B Tech graduate from IIT Mumbai (2001 batch) Neelima had never imagined becoming a mountaineer. Until a few years ago, mountains were never part of her life, as Neelima was working in California as a silicon validation engineer. But everything changed after a knee surgery. During recovery, she decided to challenge herself physically rather than allowing setbacks to define her.
What started as weekend hikes gradually turned into alpine climbing. Within a very short period, Neelima climbed Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Aconcagua, and Ama Dablam. In 2025, she became the first Indian woman above the age of 40 to summit Ama Dablam, one of the world’s most technically demanding mountains.
Everest, however, was in a completely different league, and a rare disease made the potential climb even more dangerous. Neelima lives with thalassaemia minor, a genetic blood disorder that limits the body’s ability to carry oxygen efficiently.
For most people, Everest is a huge struggle with low oxygen. For someone with thalassaemia minor, the challenge is magnified. Neelima says that every step at extreme altitude demanded far more effort from her than it would for an average climber. Even during training, she knew she would need to prepare far beyond what most climbers do.
For months before the expedition, she trained inside a high-altitude simulation tent, slept in oxygen-deprived conditions, carried heavy packs on California mountains, and followed a rigorous endurance programme designed to prepare her body for the Himalayas. Yet no amount of preparation could fully prepare her for what awaited on Everest.
When doctors told her to turn around During the nearly 50-day expedition, Neelima developed HAPE, or High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema, one of mountaineering’s deadliest medical emergencies, not once, but thrice. HAPE occurs when fluid accumulates inside the lungs, making breathing increasingly difficult. If untreated, it can quickly become fatal. At Everest Base Camp, she became breathless even while resting or speaking. Her oxygen saturation fell dangerously low. Doctors monitoring climbers examined her lungs and repeatedly advised her to abandon the expedition immediately.
Each time, she was forced to descend to lower altitude for recovery before attempting the climb again. “There were moments when simply walking a few steps left me gasping for breath,” Neelima recalls. “The doctors made it very clear that continuing carried serious risks.” Each descent meant lost time, lost strength, and the possibility that the expedition might end without another opportunity. Most climbers would have accepted the medical advice. But Neelima chose to recover, regroup, and try again.
While Everest presented enormous physical challenges, Neelima says the emotional struggle was equally demanding. Her family worried constantly. As a mother of two children, she understood their fears. “My children knew Everest was dangerous,” she says. “Every time there was news about climbers getting sick or storms on the mountain, I knew they would be worried.”
Her parents found it difficult to accept why their daughter would voluntarily attempt one of the world’s most dangerous climbs. Like many parents, they questioned whether any dream was worth risking her life. They carried the weight of uncertainty throughout the expedition.
Communication from Everest is limited, often delayed by days, and harsh weather often prevents any contact at all. Every silence, inevitably, became a source of huge anxiety.
Neelima admits there were moments when she questioned herself too. “When doctors tell you that you should descend, when you’re struggling to breathe, and when you know your family is worried, self-doubt naturally creeps in.” But she always returned to the same thought. “If I walk away without giving everything I had, I would spend my entire life wondering “what if.”
Why Take Such a Risk?
Several people have asked Neelima why she was willing to risk her life for a mountain. For her, Everest was never about collecting another summit. “It was about discovering what is possible despite limitations,” claims Neelima.
Living with thalassaemia minor meant that she had often heard about things that might be difficult or impossible. Rather than allowing those limitations to define her, Neelima wanted to redefine them. She also hoped her journey would encourage people living with medical conditions, physical setbacks, or difficult life circumstances not to give up on ambitious dreams. “I wanted people to see that challenges don’t always have to become excuses.” After weeks of acclimatisation, repeated setbacks, medical scares, and multiple descents, the summit day finally arrived.
The ultimate climb tested every reserve of physical and mental strength. As Neelima recalls with a deep sense of pride, “Each step above 8,000 metres, the infamous “death zone”, requires enormous effort because the body is slowly deteriorating with the lack of oxygen. Climbers battle freezing temperatures, exhaustion, powerful winds, and the constant awareness that mistakes can be fatal.”
When Neelima finally stepped onto the highest point on Earth, emotion overwhelmed her. “I looked around and realised I was standing above every mountain on the planet. I was on top of the world.” For nearly thirty minutes, she stood at the summit absorbing a moment she had dreamed about for many months. Given her courage, Neelima rightly remarks, “It wasn’t about proving anything to anyone else. It was proof to me that perseverance can overcome extraordinary obstacles.” News of Neelima’s successful summit quickly spread.
Messages poured in from strangers, fellow climbers, friends, and people living with thalassaemia who said her achievement gave them hope.
Many parents reached out saying they planned to show her story to their children as an example of perseverance. Others wrote that they had postponed dreams because of fear, illness, or age and that her journey inspired them to start again. For Neelima, those messages have become as meaningful as the summit itself. As she asserts, “If even one person decides not to give up because they heard my story, then everything I went through was worth it.”