Climbing Everest is a process, not an event. So said Dan Holle, an American Everest climber, after surmounting the odds to achieve a dream. When 11 Saudi women raised their country's flag last Monday at Everest Base Camp (EBC) at an altitude of 5,340 meters, it was not an event, because events are transitory. It was, as Dan Holle has said, a process: A process to overcome the odds, a process to make their sisters aware of the importance of staying physically fit, a process to project to the world outside that Saudi women are not fettered. It was also a realization of personal dreams for each of the participants, because each one of them is either directly or distantly related to a breast cancer victim. These “Pink Warriors” have literally conquered new heights in support of a campaign started by Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud titled “A Woman's Journey: Destination Mount Everest” under the banners of Alf Khair and Women's Awareness Center. Princess Reema, the brain behind this mission, is known for such initiatives. In 2010, she oversaw an event in Jeddah in which 3,952 Saudi women gathered to set a Guinness World Record by forming the world's largest human awareness ribbon. Awareness campaigns like these are important here because deaths from breast cancer, which are rising at an alarming rate in the Kingdom, can be prevented if the disease is diagnosed early. Around 8,000 breast cancer cases are discovered each year of which 50 to 60 percent are diagnosed at an advanced stage, according to the Saudi Cancer Registry at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center. Early detection as well as physical activity are crucial factors in fighting and preventing the disease. So every woman should take a pledge to walk for 15 minutes every day. By doing so they will not only be staying fit, but will also be extending moral support to the Pink Warriors. A campaign like this enhances people's awareness and helps create a civil society. The journey of these Saudi women to Mount Everest was not a picnic in the sylvan solitude and idyllic surroundings of the Himalayas, but a dangerous and grueling experience which only the courageous ones can undertake. After 14 days of trekking and an arduous journey through the rough terrains of Himalayan ranges and Mount Everest, the Pink Warriors came home yesterday. They are carrying no trophies, but they have won many a heart for their perseverance, their commitment, their courage and their conviction for the cause for which they took up such a challenging task. Their footprints on the mountain have disappeared beneath a fresh layer of snow, yet they have left an indelible impression on all those who followed their journey. Their campaign will certainly snowball into a major drive. Kudos to you, the Pink Warriors! __
