Ignoring the doubt. Visualizing your success. That’s exactly what one Las Vegas woman does each time she defies the seemingly impossible. Kayla Perez is a mountaineer taking inspiration to new heights with each step.
“I wanted to challenge myself in every way possible,” she said.
Four years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world hunkered down, Perez searched for new heights. She climbed Mount Shasta first.
” I climbed Mount Baker, Mount Hood and then explored South America,” she said. Her interest was piqued, and she set her sights on Mount Everest.
“Once you get to the Himalayas, those are the biggest peaks in the world,” Perez explained.
Before the Everest climb, Perez had to overcome a big setback. She suffered a pulmonary edema twice, both at 19,000 feet.
“It’s fatal. It’s one of the risks of altitude,” she said. So, she returned to Las Vegas but didn’t lose sight of her goal.
“It wasn’t going to define my story.” Perez added, “I knew there was always a solution.”