Paraplegic athlete Lai Chi-wai on Saturday secured himself to his wheelchair and ascended one of the city's highest glass-paned skyscrapers in Hong Kong.
In the course of over 10 hours, Lai managed to haul himself up over 250 meters (about 820 feet) in an initiative to raise money for patients with spinal cord problems.
Paraplegic Climbs 820 Feet Up Hong Kong Skyscraper
According to Lai, "I was quite scared. Climbing up a mountain, I can hold onto rocks or little holes, but with glass, all I can really rely on is the rope that I'm hanging off," reported CNN.
Lai, 37, climbed up Nina Tower on the Kowloon peninsula for 10 hours. His undertaking raised $670,639 (5.2 million Hong Kong dollars) in donations.
The towering Nina Tower stands at 320 meters. Thus, his climb was called off for safety reasons.
The scaling took place ten years following an injury leaving him wheelchair-bound.
The climber completed the tumultuous 10-hour climb, hauling himself and his wheelchair up the Kowloon skyscraper.
The athlete became the first individual in Hong Kong to climb over 250 metes of a skyscraper while strapped into a wheelchair as he hauled himself up for over 10 hours.
The climber's car accident 10 years ago made him paralyzed from the waist down.
He used merely his upper body strength.
Earlier, Lai was one of the globe's top climbers. Lai, prior to 2011, was awarded Asia champion four times for rock climbing and once ranked eighth worldwide.
He did not manage to reach the top of the 320-meter tower due to safety concerns. However, the proceeds he raised will be allocated to help spinal cord patients.
After his accident, he resumed climbing by affixing his wheelchair to a pulley system. Five years ago, he hiked up the 495-meter high Lion Rock mountain. It is a local folk culture symbol of his home nation's grit and strength.
According to Lai, "Apart from just living, I wondered what drives me? So I began to chase that, knowing that there was a possibility I could climb mountains, even in a wheelchair. In a way, I forgot that I was a disabled person, I could still dream and I could still do what I liked doing," reported Gulf News.
Lai hopes to change people's judgment of disabled individuals. He strongly believes that a disabled person could shine and reap the opportunities offered to them.
He stated that some people do not understand the hardships of disabled people, think that they are always weak, they need help, they need assistance, and they need people's pity. He wants to tell everyone that it does not have to be the case. He added that a disabled person could flourish and simultaneously bring about hope, opportunity, and light. He affirmed they do not have to be perceived as weak, reported CNN.
In doing the task, he reportedly forgot that he was a disabled person. He felt he could still dream and could do what he liked doing.
