Fighting Cancer, Going to the Top of the World

Kompas/Harry Susilo

Muhamad Gunawan

Being told by doctors that he had nasopharyngeal cancer in November 2015 was not the end of the world for Muhamad Gunawan. Instead, he persisted to fight the disease. The 59-year-old is working hard to achieve his lifelong dream: to climb Mt. Everest, the highest point on the Earth.

Ogun, as he is known among friends, was wearing a grey-and-red shirt with the words “Ogun Roads to Everest” that afternoon. He was just finishing his speed-walking exercise. “I am not yet brave enough to force myself and do a running exercise. I’m afraid I’ll sprain my muscles,” said Ogun at the Soemantri Brodjonegoro sports hall in Kuningan, Jakarta, on Wednesday afternoon.