The Raw Nerve Podcast, MS Australia, Sharing the Dream (Episode #31)

Jen Willis has fulfilled her childhood dream of learning to be a mountaineer. We first met Jen in January 2023, and on this latest episode of The Raw Nerve, she shares her journey, passion for mountains and climbing mountains, life with multiple sclerosis (MS) and her recent trek to Everest Base Camp with a group of others with MS from Australia, the UK and the USA, guides, and a cinematographer.

The acclimatisation needed to get to nearly 5,400 metres when you live with MS and come from sea level is astonishing. The trek up to Everest Base Camp and back is around 130-kilometre with steep hills, uneven ground and a constant increase in altitude. Jen and her co-trekkers carefully pushed through the everyday challenges of MS toward their dream of trekking and travelling in Nepal.

Passionate about helping others achieve their dreams, Jen talks about the power of shared experience and sharing the magic of mountaineering with others. Her many learnings along the way include leadership, guidance, living in the moment and how little steps can grow confidence and help to navigate life’s challenges. The trek ignited a sense of adventure in the group and being together in Nepal on World MS Day was extra special.

Jen talks through her mountaineering and other future plans, passion for awareness and fundraising for MS and MS research, the importance of taking seriously any early signs and symptoms, and the self-drive that many feel as a result of living with a chronic, often invisible condition like MS.