Phill Michael

 

I want to climb Everest because it is a challenge I know I can handle . We will laugh and cry tears of joy at our triumph on the summit...and endlessly recount the tales of happiness with our respective offspring! We will climb for a bright future...with the will to live long, prosperous lives full of adventure. Why would one wish it to be any other way? I owe a great deal of this to my Medtronic bio-prosthesis. It doesn't get any more simple than that! We will reach the Summit because that's where we belong. The Descent will be a pleasure."

* * *

Tears of Joy by Phill Michael

(Recipient of the Medtronic Freestyle Aortic Root Bio-prosthesis)

In a moment, in an instant the tears began to flow...Tears of Joy.

Despite the inordinate degrees of love and highs that I have experienced in my short life, crying that day in the recovery room was the happiest I have ever been. Could I have guessed that the confining walls of a recovery room would stir such emotion? No...never.

In late January of 2003, I committed myself to having my Aortic Valve replaced with a Medtronic Freestyle Valve. I approached this daunting procedure without fear of trepidation. Dr. Dennis Modry, an internationally respected surgeon with the Cardiac Unit at the University of Alberta, was the physician who would implant the bio-prosthesis valve. I have lived life trusting my own judgment, and I had decided after hundreds of hours of research and consultations with doctors and friends that the best hands to work on my heart were those of Dr. Modry.

I remember feeling a little underpowered as I dragged my luggage through San Francisco Airport, racing to catch the plane in Edmonton. I remember the icy greeting of the Northern Alberta winter, as I stepped off the plane into -41C, and that's without the wind chill! The baggage doors of the plane were frozen shut. We had to wait more than two hours for our luggage. I was almost in the hospital. I could smell it.

The efficiency and kindness that Dr. Modry's office displayed, under the direction of Jennie Hruba, was mind-boggling. On January 14th, while at Secret Spot Sonoma, California, I made the decision to have my Aortic valve repaired. I didn't have a choice! It was 80% fused shut according to an American cardiologist. During the months leading up to my decision to undergo surgery, I hadn't been my vigorous self when scuba diving in the cold waters off Northern California. The annoying cough and fluid build up in my lungs would just not go away. Passing out under heavy exertion was getting a little "old," not to mention frightening.

Just two short weeks later, I arrived in Edmonton, thanks chiefly to the immediate efforts of Dr. Modry and Jennie...and was on the operating table on January 29th.

I distinctly remember being wheeled away to the OR on a stretcher thinking that these could be my final conscious moments, but more than likely I was just in for a short sleep with a rather rude awakening. I had a great deal of faith in Dr. Modry, and the force that guides his hands, so I had no reason to be afraid.

Switch to post-operation in the ICU. Imagine waking up with a dozen tubes, catheters, electrodes and other apparatus plumbed into your body, sticking out of every orifice and available vein. All I knew was I wanted two of them out immediately...the breathing tube and the barbaric urinary catheter. As I looked around the room with what seemed like new eyes, I focused on the grave faces of the nurses and the grey faces of the patients around me.

I remember how Dr. Modry so succinctly stated on my second day in ICU: "Phill Michael does not belong here!" His erudite and sympathetic comment struck a chord and, within half an hour, I got out of bed...sat in a chair...shaved my own head and looked forward to going for a walk. I looked around the ICU again. The grey faces gained some colour, as they witnessed my transformation, and a few of the nurses were beaming, as was my Mom.

"How do we pick ourselves up from the seemingly lowest places in the world?"


"How do we inspire ourselves and others to live our dreams and reach new heights?"


"How do we achieve the impossible while facing ostensibly insurmountable odds?"

Of course we do it with support from others, but we follow through on our own...always. The final push comes from within. 

Successfully going through major open heart surgery and moving on to greater things in life requires:  

-major support from capable, experienced people

- support from the providers of well researched medical, technical apparatus

-intelligent fearlessness

-humility

-respect for new and unfamiliar environments

- and tireless drive. 

It also requires the knowledge and self- confidence that ,  

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

So does climbing Mount Everest.
Phill Michael 

Expedition Leader and Summit Climber
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Click here to read Phill's testimonials

BIOGRAPHY

Defining moments often occur in the most unexpected places. For those who choose to spend time with their feet on rock, their lives in the clouds, their eyes pointed towards a distant horizon and their minds open to the impossible, the commitment to a lifelong pursuit of 'self' is only realized through outdoor activity. For Phill, defining moments have crystallized through his ascension into the outdoor community, and into the realm of its elite.

Phill's story has unfolded on the mountain summits of the world, stretching from the Canadian Rockies, the Equatorial Andes, and the Swiss Alps. Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Phill suffered from a deep sense of restlessness and was drawn by the intrigue of global exploration. He would not be satisfied by limiting the focus of his energies to a routine indoor existence. Leaving home on his touring bike at the tender age of 14, Phill has not stopped moving since.

In 1995, Phill transferred his hard alpine skills and his boundless energy, creating Secret Spot Adventures Ltd., a revolutionary business of outdoor pursuits. By creating and personally leading some of the most intimate, remote, challenging and successful trips in the outdoor community, Phill has ushered in a new era of adventure travel. He has shared his outdoor world with the people he loved; he has designed innovative trips focusing on creating personal connections...always in search of the penultimate Secret Spot.

In his push for Everest, Phill will leverage everything that he has accomplished to date including his climbing and traveling successes, his strong interpersonal skills, and proven ability to connect with every person on earth. Leadership, calculation, execution, connection...the goals of Everest Freestyle Expedition are the natural progression for a man who has carved himself from the rock and ice of the planet, and has explored its oceans, both above and below the waterline.

When Phill stands on the top of the world, he will look down upon a lifelong journey of work and discovery. Granted, this won't be the end his journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. The video and photo documentation on the Summit of Everest will define a moment in time. What started as a passion for outdoor pursuit has morphed into a lifestyle of choice.

Phill's descent from the summit of Everest will not only be a pleasure, but a part of the natural progression of his abilities, and a culmination of a lifetime of skills.