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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Alice Rasari.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm Andrew Davis. Spotlight uses a special English method

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<v Speaker 2>of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no

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<v Speaker 2>matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>Imagine walking almost nine kilometers through ice and snow. Imagine

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<v Speaker 1>carrying a fifty liter backpack weighing twenty one kilograms for

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<v Speaker 1>your whole trip. Imagine wind so cold it burns your

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<v Speaker 1>face in Imagine your fingers and toes turning white. Imagine

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<v Speaker 1>you are not walking straight ahead, but straight up. Imagine

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<v Speaker 1>struggling to breathe because the air is so thin. Imagine

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<v Speaker 1>your body aching. Imagine fighting to take one more step.

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<v Speaker 1>Imagine you are climbing the tallest mountain in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Now imagine doing it all blind. You cannot see anything

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<v Speaker 1>around you, but now you are standing on top of

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<v Speaker 1>the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's Spotlight looks at the life of Eric Wyan Mayor.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric is blind, but he has climbed many impressive mountains.

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<v Speaker 2>He has inspired people around the world. He has done

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<v Speaker 2>things no one thought he could do without sight. He

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<v Speaker 2>has become a leader to many.

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<v Speaker 1>Wayan mayor has retinascusis with retinascusis the back of the

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<v Speaker 1>eye splits into two layers. Usually this affects adult men

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<v Speaker 1>and women, but sometimes it happens to children. This is

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<v Speaker 1>called juvenile retinascusis The National Organization of Rare Disorders says.

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<v Speaker 3>The disorder is a slow loss of parts of the

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<v Speaker 3>field of vision. Often the final result is complete blindness.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric Wyermeyer was only four years old when he was

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<v Speaker 2>diagnosed with this disorder. By the time he was fourteen,

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<v Speaker 2>he was completely blind.

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<v Speaker 4>Eric said, I was afraid that I was not going

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<v Speaker 4>to be able to do much in life.

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<v Speaker 1>But Eric's parents encouraged him to get involved in wrestling

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<v Speaker 1>at school. The sport of wrestling involves physically grabbing your

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<v Speaker 1>opponents and holding them down. Eric became very good at wrestling.

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<v Speaker 1>He was even the leader of his high school team.

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<v Speaker 1>Then he discovered rock climbing.

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<v Speaker 4>He said, shortly after going blind, I heard about a

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<v Speaker 4>group taking blind kids rock climbing. I thought to myself,

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<v Speaker 4>who would take a blind kid rock climbing? So I

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<v Speaker 4>signed up.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric immediately loved climbing. He learned to use his hands

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<v Speaker 2>while climbing the way others used their eyes. His hands

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<v Speaker 2>searched the rocks for cracks in the mountain This helped

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<v Speaker 2>him know where to place his hands and feet. He

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<v Speaker 2>did not plan his way up the mountain as other

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<v Speaker 2>climbers did. He could not see anything above him. He

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<v Speaker 2>learned to focus on what he could feel and touch

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<v Speaker 2>in front of him.

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<v Speaker 1>After graduating from college, Eric moved to Arizona to be

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<v Speaker 1>a teacher. He went rock climbing every weekend with a

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<v Speaker 1>group of friends. They decided to climb d Nale, the

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<v Speaker 1>tallest mountain in North America. Afterward, Eric said, I.

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<v Speaker 4>Thought, how amazing to make your life this great adventure.

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<v Speaker 4>Just go to every continent and climb the tallest mountain.

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<v Speaker 2>Over the next few years, Eric managed to climb the

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<v Speaker 2>tallest mountains on three different continents, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa,

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<v Speaker 2>Aconcagua in South America, and Mount Vincent in Antarctica. Then

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<v Speaker 2>he took on the challenge of climbing the tallest mountain

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<v Speaker 2>in the world, Mount Everest. It is in the rugged

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<v Speaker 2>Himalayan Mountains of Asia. Many experts did not think Eric

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<v Speaker 2>could make it to the top of Everest. Mountain. Climbers

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<v Speaker 2>all the area above eight thousand meters the death zone.

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<v Speaker 2>That high altitude has less oxygen a person's brain and

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<v Speaker 2>lungs do not work well. Everest's summit is eight thousand,

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<v Speaker 2>eight hundred forty eight meters high. Experts thought the death zone,

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<v Speaker 2>combined with his blindness, would prove too much for him,

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<v Speaker 2>but Eric was determined to succeed. He found a good

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<v Speaker 2>team of experienced climbers to guide him. He got financial

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<v Speaker 2>support from the National Federation of the Blind. In two

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<v Speaker 2>thousand one, he and his team made it all the

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<v Speaker 2>way to the top of Mount Everest. Eric became the

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<v Speaker 2>first blind person to reach the highest summit in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>The Seven Summits are the tallest mountains on each of

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<v Speaker 1>the seven continents. Only a few hundred people have climbed

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<v Speaker 1>all seven. After Eric climbed Mount Everest, he climbed the

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<v Speaker 1>remaining highest mountains in Europe and Australia to complete his

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<v Speaker 1>Seven Summits record. He is the only blind person to

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<v Speaker 1>have done what seemed impossible.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric then learned to kayak. A kayak is a small

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<v Speaker 2>boat with an ore that has a blade on each end.

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<v Speaker 2>But Eric did not want to relax on a calm lake.

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<v Speaker 2>He wanted to kayak four hundred and forty two kilometers

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<v Speaker 2>on the Colorado River that part of the Colorado River

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<v Speaker 2>runs through Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. That part

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<v Speaker 2>of the river has many dangerous sections of rapids and

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<v Speaker 2>sharp rocks. He trained for six years to prepare for

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<v Speaker 2>this adventure. He and the nine other people on his

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<v Speaker 2>team successfully kayaked the the entire Grand Canyon in twenty

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<v Speaker 2>one days.

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<v Speaker 4>Eric said, I do not care whether people climb mountains

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<v Speaker 4>or kayak, but we are hoping people look within themselves.

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<v Speaker 4>I want others to ask themselves, what are we capable

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<v Speaker 4>of doing.

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<v Speaker 1>Eric has written three books. Several documentary films have been

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<v Speaker 1>made about his life. Time magazine featured him on the cover.

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<v Speaker 1>Eric started a nonprofit organization called No Barriers. No Barriers

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<v Speaker 1>helps people overcome problems and obstacles in their lives. He

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<v Speaker 1>constantly looks for new challenges. He searches for new ways

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<v Speaker 1>to grow as a person. He refuses to accept any limits,

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<v Speaker 1>including his own blindness. Fellow mountain climber Chris Morris said.

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<v Speaker 4>Eric is mentally one of the strongest guys you will ever.

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<v Speaker 2>Meet, whether on a mountain, on a river, or in

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<v Speaker 2>a classroom. Eric Wyan Maya clearly sees life as a

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<v Speaker 2>great adventure.

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<v Speaker 1>What is the toughest challenge you are facing today. What

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<v Speaker 1>are some ways you have tried to overcome it? How

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<v Speaker 1>could others help you to succeed? You can leave a

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<v Speaker 1>comment on our website at www dot Spotlight English dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and

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<v Speaker 1>x You can also get our programs delivered directly to

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<v Speaker 1>your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight

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<v Speaker 1>English app.

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<v Speaker 2>The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer

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<v Speaker 2>was Dan Chrisman. The voices you heard were from the

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<v Speaker 2>United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted

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<v Speaker 2>for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is

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<v Speaker 2>call Seeing Clearly the Eric wyn Mayer Story.

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<v Speaker 1>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 1>Spotlight program. Goodbye.