In this Independence Day celebration of the Philippines, here is a story of a woman who proudly represented the country in one of the most challenging hikes in the world. Bianca Lawas made news rounds in April 2019 when she reached the Mt. Everest Base Camp and wore a Filipiniana gown to celebrate this feat.

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Aside from conquering physical mountains, what many people don’t know about Bianca was how she was able to overcome challenges so she could chase after her dreams. This is a story about Bianca’s journey – a testament of Filipino resilience and tenacity.

An uphill climb  

She got into mountain climbing in 2010 when her college friend invited her to go to Mt. Pulag in Northern Luzon. Back then, she didn’t know anything about mountaineering or hiking. Since they organized the trip themselves, they didn’t even have the proper footwear or backpacks.

“It also did not help that there was a typhoon when we reached Camp 2 of Mt. Pulag. The weather forecast was inaccurate so we were so cold that time and some of our things were wet,” Bianca said.

To make things worse, one of her teammates had a terrible seizure due to hypothermia. Fortunately, there were nurses in their group and they were able to take care of the situation.

Despite a rocky start, Bianca soon fell in love with mountain climbing. In fact, since 2010, she has climbed so many mountains both in and outside the Philippines that she has lost count.

“There was even a year or more than a year wherein my friends and I climb every other week. My favorites are of course Mt. Everest Base Camp, Mt. Kinabalu and Mt. Halcon,” she said.

Among these, however, the most challenging climb was also the one that catapulted her to fame — Mt. Everest Base Camp Trek. Bianca explained that it was a 11-day hike that included two days just to acclimatize to the altitude.

“Everyone needs to be acclimatized well so we won’t get altitude sickness or worse, HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) or HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema). There were a number of climbers who were sent back to Kathmandu via chopper because they were showing severe symptoms of high altitude sickness like vomiting several times and excessive coughing,” she explained.

Their team, composed of different nationalities, faced physical challenges that even some of the athletes in their group weren’t able to overcome.  

“We had headaches every night ranging from mild to really uncomfortable that we had to take medicines because of the very cold temperature (the rooms don’t have a heater) and the altitude that we need to adjust from,” Bianca said.

“As we went higher, we also had hard time breathing, even at rest. Several times when I was sleeping, I had to wake up and to sit down just to be able to properly breathe or breathe fully,” she added.

A Filipina’s resilience

To prepare for these climbs, Bianca trains by running on a treadmill at maximum inclination for at least 30 minutes to 1.5 hours at least three times a week. She also had some strengthening sessions with her personal trainer in the gym.

What’s interesting is that Bianca has faced the challenges in her life with the same dedication and motivation as she does for her climbs.

“I would say one mountain in my life that I have conquered is the attainment of my dream lifestyle. My dream lifestyle is to be able do whatever, wherever and whenever I want without worrying how to pay my bills and how to finance the things that I need and want including my travels and adventures,” she said.

Bianca used to have a day job that was just enough to fulfil her needs but not her wants. With a new summit to climb, little by little, she worked towards her goal. She attended classes on personal finance including the Registered Financial Planners (RFP) course. She also removed all debts and eliminated or prevented possible liabilities. Now, she is a successful licensed real estate broker. It is a job that allows her the flexibility she needs to pursue her hobbies.

“It is only with my travel and adventures that I spend more now. I also taught myself how to earn well and used my strength in selling, negotiating and closing deals for my career. I also talked with successful people even if I don’t know them personally,” Bianca shared.

She also read self-help books and articles, watched online videos, listened to podcast, attended seminars and workshops, etc. that helped her achieve her dream lifestyle.

“It’s not a one shot deal and I have to continuously improve myself and follow through my goals, and just do my best to bounce back whenever I falter. I’m not saying I’m already super successful and I have achieved all the things that I want,” Bianca said.

Bianca’s determination is just a testimony of the resilience and discipline of Filipinos which she has also witnessed time and time again during her climbs.

“When it comes to hiking, generally citizens from Western countries, especially the ones we met in Everest Base Camp Trek, had really long strides probably because of their long legs so they are able to hike faster,” she said.

Despite this, she has noted that Filipinos get along really well with other nationalities and can keep up with taller climbers.

“We are always flexible and able to adapt well with other nationalities and their different personalities,” she said.

For Bianca, climbing the Everest Base Camp is not the end of her journey. There are still more mountains to climb and more dreams to achieve.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done. I just know I’m already in my dream lifestyle  and I have that confidence in me that I can achieve almost anything that I’m passionate about and I set my mind to.”

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