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

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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 later backpack weighing twenty one kilograms for

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

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<v Speaker 1>Imagine your fingers and toes turning white. Imagine you are

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<v Speaker 1>not walking straight ahead, but straight up. Imagine struggling to

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<v Speaker 1>breathe because the air is so thin. Imagine your body aching.

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<v Speaker 1>Imagine fighting to take one more step. Imagine you are

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<v Speaker 1>climbing the tallest mountain in the world. Now imagine doing

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<v Speaker 1>it all blind. You cannot see anything around you, but

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<v Speaker 1>now you are standing on top of 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.

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<v Speaker 1>To many wayan mayor has retinascusis with retinascuss the back

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<v Speaker 1>of the eye splits into two layers. Usually this affects

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<v Speaker 1>adult men and women, but sometimes it happens to children.

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<v Speaker 1>This is called juvenile RETINOSCUSIS. The National Organization of Rare

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<v Speaker 1>Disorders says.

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<v Speaker 2>The disorder is a slow loss of parts of the

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<v Speaker 2>field of vision.

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

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<v Speaker 2>Eric Wyenmeyer 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 3>Eric said, I was afraid that I was not going

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<v Speaker 3>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 3>He said, shortly after going going blind, I heard about

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<v Speaker 3>a group taking blind kids rock climbing. I thought to myself,

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<v Speaker 3>who would take a blind kid rock climbing? So I

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<v Speaker 3>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 Denali, the tallest

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<v Speaker 1>mountain in North America.

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<v Speaker 3>Afterward, Eric said, I thought, how am to make your

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<v Speaker 3>life this great adventure? Just go to every continent and

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<v Speaker 3>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>Aconcagoa 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. Many climbers

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<v Speaker 2>call 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 and forty eight meters high. Experts thought the

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<v Speaker 2>death zone, combined with his blindness, would prove too much

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<v Speaker 2>for him, but Eric was determined to succeed. He found

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<v Speaker 2>a good team of experienced climbers to guide him. He

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<v Speaker 2>got financial support from the National Federation of the Blind.

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<v Speaker 2>In two thousand and one, he and his team made

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<v Speaker 2>it all the way to the top of Mount Everest.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric became the first blind person to reach the highest

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<v Speaker 2>summit in the world.

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<v Speaker 1>The Seventh 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 oar that has a blade on each end,

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<v Speaker 2>but 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 entire Grand Canyon in twenty one days.

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<v Speaker 3>Eric said, I do not care whether people climb mountains

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<v Speaker 3>or kayak, but we are hoping people look within themselves.

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<v Speaker 3>I want others to ask themselves what are we capable

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<v Speaker 3>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 non profit organization called No Barriers. No

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>ways to grow as a person. He refuses to accept

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<v Speaker 1>any limits, including his own blindness. Fellow mountain climber Chris

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<v Speaker 1>Morris said, Eric is mentally one of the strongest guys

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<v Speaker 1>you will ever meet.

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<v Speaker 2>Whether on a mountain, on a river, or in a classroom.

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<v Speaker 2>Eric Wyan Mayer clearly sees life as a 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>called Seeing Clearly the Eric Wyronmeyer 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.