An expedition member Jeffry Mustafa, 45, greeting family members upon his arrival at KLIA. — BernamaPUTRAJAYA: The cold, harsh winds of Mount Everest will forever be a reminder of a painful memory for Siti Nurul Azzua Tamjis.
It was there that the 29-year-old lost her training buddy and close friend, Muhamad Shahrulnizam Ahmad Nazari, 25, to acute mountain sickness (AMS) while scaling the world’s highest mountain.
“We were very close. We were paired as training buddies from the beginning, and he even took care of me when I suffered from AMS.
“I can’t forget any of this. I will not go back there again because this was the most bitter experience of my life,” a tearful Siti Nurul said on her return from Kathmandu last night.
Siti Nurul and Shahrulnizam were part of a 14-member team from the Putrajaya Corporation which attempted to scale up to Mount Everest’s base camp as part of an expedition organised by their sports and recreation club.
Expedition members were overcome with emotions when they reached the arrival hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with nary a dry eye as family and friends showered them with love and affection on their return.
Siti Nurul said many on the team experienced mild AMS, but none realised the extent that the deadly condition had affected Shahrulnizam.
“He never showed any signs of suffering from AMS. He always put on a strong front for everybody, so we were all shocked to find out how bad it was,” she said.
“I am sad that we lost a friend ... whatever that we achieved in the expedition is dedicated to his memory,” she said.
-THE STAR
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