Short Hills Resident And Doctor Climbed Mt. Everest In Short Time

ESSEX COUNTY — Dr. Qaisra Saeed, a Short Hills resident and cardiologist at Cooperman Barnabas Health hospitals in Livingston and Newark, recently climbed Mr. Everest in just three weeks — a much shorter time than most people, according to news stories this month.

While it usually takes people two or three months, "She couldn't be away from her patients that long," said a story in NorthJersey.com. So she trained in January, sticking to a special diet and training, and sleeping in a hypoxic tent beforehand to get used to lower oxygen levels.

“I’ve been climbing mountains for several years," Saeed said. "In mountain climbing, Everest was always in the back of my mind. It didn’t always feel to be attainable."

The Challenge Of Everest

On MedPage Today, Saeed reveals her schedule for climbing, with stops at camps and to avoid a storm. She finished her climb in May.

Mt. Everest, considered the tallest point on earth, is in the Himalaya Mountains between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China.

The peak is 29,032 feet high.

Climbing there has become controversial, due to pollution, too many climbers at times, and fears of indigenous people in the area being exploited, according to National Geographic. It's also a challenging climb that requires much training. Read more about Everest here.