About Us
May 2001- Nawang receives his first prosthetic leg from Walter Racette at the UCSF Orthopaedic Surgery Department in San Francisco
Life is a risky journey, and traumatic things can happen. Most people learn to accept what life brings them. But some people don't stop there. They decide to push back. They constantly look at life from every angle and never stop exploring its possibilities. They continue finding ways to create a life of success, whatever life brings them. Remaining engaged with life, their positive attitude draws in a new universe of friends and possibilities.
Nawang Sherpa is that kind of person. With the help of his friends, Nawang rose from being an amputee in a small, developing country, able to walk only with crude crutches to being a world-record Everest summiteer in just four years. Now living with his family in California, Nawang has co-founded ENABLED SPORTS, a social enterprise organization to help amputees, those with knee and hip replacements, and others who are struggling to overcome traumatic stress and injuries achieve their own personal "Everests" in life.
Nawang holds the Nepali flag on the summit of Mt. Everest (Chomolungma) on May 16, 2004
His goal for them is two-part:
1. Help them regain and increase their physical and mental strength and endurance, plus
2. Help them quickly build a stronger social network and identity by connecting them to new friends and acquaintances--locally, nationally, and internationally--through the rugged sports of mountaineering, climbing, and other mountain-related sports.
February 2003 - Nawang tests his new mountaineering prosthesis with Tom Halvorson of Northern Orthotic & Prosthetic Center in Minnesota
Guided by Nawang Sherpa's experiences and perspectives, ENABLED SPORTS recognizes the importance of a strong personal identity and the enduring value of rewarding human relations for those recovering from surgery and traumatic injuries, and specifically incorporates these into our programs. We invite you to tap into the new universe of friends and possibilities we can create for you through mountaineering, climbing and mountain-related sports.
June 2003 - Nawang quickly gained strength through indoor climbing and hiking in preparation for his 2004 Everest expedition