With his mountaineering gear intact, 37-year-old David Liano Gonzalez climbed Mt. Everest.
As he inches his way up, his mind is focussed on just one message for those struggling with depression: “You are not alone. This climb was to create awareness on the importance of mental well-being and the need to eradicate the taboo that surrounds mental illness,” starts David, who climbed the Mt. Everest for the sixth time in association with Deepika Padukone’s The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF), which she founded when she overcame depression.
It is an NGO founded to champion the cause of mental health with a focus on depression in particular.
Born in Mexico, David says he was into sports all his life. “I started by climbing volcanoes, mountains, and sailing when I was eight. All my life I’ve been seeking different experiences,” he says adding this passion was triggered by his father, who is also an adventurist.
“Gradually I started climbing the highest mountain in every continent. I started looking for higher and more difficult mountains to climb. In 2008 I climbed Mt. Everest. I then wanted to try climbing both sides of the mountain in the same season. Logistically, it was a huge project, but I did it after three attempts in 2013 within eight days.”
His association with TLLLF started when he decided to travel India on a motorbike.
“That was when Deepika started the foundation and I knew a little about her and was impressed with the cause she was fighting for. I’ve seen the effects of anxiety, stress and depression from a close quarters."
"A family member suffered from it, sought help and his life changed for the better, while another cousin, refused help and killed himself. Having seen both sides of this problem, I wanted to climb the Mt. Everest for TLLLF. The aim was to send across a message that there are people who understand and can help. Climbing the Everest can have an impact on the social media. I wanted the foundation to be associated with my climbing, and took the banner of TLLLF to the top and brought it back.”
David explains how climbing a mountain can send a message of courage and hope to those suffering from depression.
“One learns many lessons from mountain climbing. The climb is symbolic of the very struggle one goes through depression."
"This climb was special to me as people started reaching out to me on social media when my climb was associated with this cause. One family reached out to me saying they had just lost their daughter to suicide and that I should continue to create awareness. It was their personal stories of struggle that motivated me,” says David. He climbed on May 7 and reached the peak on May 12 and he recalls that he climbed at least eight hours a day.
“It is a long process. We set up base camps and climb up and go down again. We actually end up climbing the same mountain many times. This going up and down does not frustrate me as that is the process involved. It helps my body get acclimatised.”
Then David, who holds a Guinness World Record for a double ascent of Mt. Everest, from Nepal and Tibet, describes what it is to be alone on the mountain surrounded by vast whiteness.
“It was very humbling. There is danger in every section of the mountain but I try to enjoy the moment where I am at that particular moment."
"Through this climb I also wanted to communicate that though I looked like a tough independent climber, I was dependant on many people to reach my goal. It is okay to reach out to people, no matter what mental state you are in. Every thing is temporary. Even though I face a storm in my tent up there, which could have been blown away, it passed. Similarly, there will be a change. Tough times will pass. Soon, there will be a vast blue sky to look up and smile at. So don’t give up. All you need to do is reach out, for there is someone out there who cares.”
