André S. Rossin-Arthiat

Canadian X-treme Athlete

From 1989 to 1997, I fulfilled my childhood dream of becoming an airplane, helicopter and paraglider pilot. After my girlfriend died of cancer, I found myself unable to become an airline pilot, so I set my sights on a new career. I decided to dedicate my life to my passions, to social causes and to the general public as an Urgences Santé paramedic. Since 2001, I have been running ultramarathons and races to surpass myself and raise money for charitable organizations. Everest 2009 is a project that my long-time friend Manuel Pizarro and I have decided to dedicate to children with asthma (their number has more than tripled in Quebec since 1980) and to adults suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The latter’s incidence is also growing constantly due to the number of baby-boomers who are advancing in age. The money we raise will go to the Quebec Lung Association, whose mission is to promote respiratory health and prevent lung disease through research, education and services.

I also decided to participate in the ascent of Mount Everest as a means of giving my fellow climbers the benefit of my experience in the practice of medicine in wilderness and low-temperature conditions. Motivated by the need to inform as many people as possible about the physical difficulties encountered at high altitudes, I intend to write a book on the subject. As the medical aspect of climbing is often neglected and poorly understood by the teams (there are more than twenty (20) health problems that can prevent a climber from reaching the summit of Mount Everest), I decided to evaluate it myself. To this end, my baggage will include medical supplies and equipment that will allow me to perform measurements and analyses throughout the ascent.

My book entitled <High altitude medecine on Mount Everest : a canadian paramedic climber experience > will describe the expedition; < Climbing for kidsants - Everest 2009 > will explain the tests and analyses performed during vital sign measurement, the influence of ingested food, and the weather conditions encountered, as well as the climbers’ specific problems. Hence the importance of the tests conducted throughout the Everest climb. The data and their analysis will certainly help our researchers gain a better understanding of asthma, find more effective medication and perhaps even eradicate this disease.

This book will be dedicated to Mr. Charles Patrick Canning (my father-in-law), who died on May 27, 2008 of pulmonary emphysema combined with asbestosis. With his photo already deposited at the top of Mount Everest, he promised to help my teammate and I complete this expedition with success.

My personal objective is to become the first Canada border services agent and Montreal city paramedic to be on the summit of Mont-Everest at 8,850 metres or 29,035 feet.

I encourage every Canada border services agent and paramedic across Canada to fulfill their dream passion and perseverance.

Andre.rossin-arthiat@pq.poumon.ca

André S. Rossin-Arthiat

Team expedition medical officer Everest 2009

Canada Border Services Agent – CBSA badge number 17924

Ambulance paramedic – City of Montreal badge number 6439