New Delhi, Oct 16: Turning her grief into a social message, a 43-year-old woman IAS officer who lost her father to cancer three years ago scaled Africa’s highest mountain peak, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, to spread awareness about the deadly disease and the ill effects of drug abuse.
Senior IAS officer Sonal Goel reached the Stella Point, one of the three official summit points of Kilimanjaro at 5,756 metres (18,885 feet), on October 2.
Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant stratovolcano standing at 5,895 metres (19,341 feet), making it Africa’s highest mountain and the world’s highest free-standing mountain. Stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically a tall and conical volcano built up over thousands of years by alternating layers of hardened lava and tephra.
Goel recently embarked on the eight-day expedition through the challenging Lemosho route. She was the only woman climber in the 10-member group, whose participants were primarily from India, the United States and Canada.
Goel, a 2008 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Tripura cadre, used the expedition to promote cancer awareness, healthy living and a drug-free India.
“I lost my beloved father to cancer on October 24, 2023. His passing left a profound void in my life, but it also strengthened my resolve to turn personal grief into a meaningful social commitment. I decided to spread awareness about cancer prevention, early detection and healthy living, hoping that greater awareness and timely medical intervention could help other families avoid preventable suffering,” Goel told PTI on Friday, after returning from the expedition.
At Stella Point, she unfurled the Indian Tricolour and carried posters bearing messages on cancer awareness and the slogan “Drugs Nahi, Dreams Chuno” (Choose Dreams, Not Drugs).
Goel began carrying these awareness messages during her Everest Base Camp trek in May this year and continued the campaign on Kilimanjaro. (PTI)