With thermals, hiking boots and an asthma puffer zipped in his pocket, Joseph Booth is gearing up for the trip of a lifetime - to climb Mount Everest.
The university student from Mortdale, 20, is ambitiously aiming to climb to Base Camp on the world's tallest mountain and give back to the hospital that helped him as a child.
On August 26, he and his friend Nick Kambos will join a group of about 10 trekkers in 'Adventures For Change', a non-profit foundation that raises funds for community causes through adventurous missions.
Travelling into Nepal, they will climb with all their might to raise money - a goal of $5000 - for Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick.
"Through fundraising, we hope to assist the hospital in purchasing life-saving medical equipment and advancing their critical infant and child medical research," Mr Booth said.
"We have both been patients at the Sydney Children's Hospital on multiple occasions. When I had asthma attacks, it was my go-to place, and we feel the need to give back to a resource that provides so much. We did a site tour recently and saw that the playground was falling apart, and it all looked a bit tainted."
Although nervous of the pending trip, the determined adventure-chaser is confident of a successful finish.
"Flying into what is statistically the world's deadliest airport on the cliffsides of the Lukla province, the expedition will require us to traverse to almost six kilometres above sea level at sub-zero temperatures where our oxygen levels will be less than half of that at ground," he said. "We are also trekking in the middle of Nepal's torrential monsoon season.
"My asthma still does impact me, not as much as it used to but it will be a struggle. It's a big concern. I will take my Ventolin and I will take Diamox to increase the oxygen in the blood."
The co-founder of iBreezy, an International Baccalaureate (IB) tutoring business, Mr Booth will juggle supporting his final year students while sheltering in a tent at night.
"I'll be managing it from the side of the mountain," the university student who studies commerce, said.
"This is out of my comfort zone and I haven't done as much training as I need to. It will test my body to its limits but this is something I've wanted to do for while, but was hindered by the pandemic. Now the borders are finally open, I'm ready."
