Nikon Owner Issue 14
Against all odds
A Photographic Journey to the Highest Peaks on each of the Seven Continents by Jo Gambi
Following the news that Jo Gambi’s husband, Rob, had been declared in remission for cancer for the second time they both decided to take a journey into the unknown and enjoy life together while they could. Their quest took them on an incredible journey through every continent of the globe, from the death zone of Everest’s summit in Asia to the chilling freezer of the Antarctic polar plateau www.robandjogambi.com
A professional photographer I am not – enthusiast yes, and in the last 18 months we (my husband Rob, and I) have had the most incredible experiences and photographic opportunities on every continent of the globe, from the death zone of Everest’s summit in Asia to the chilling freezer of the Antarctic polar plateau.
We took the nerve-racking step to leave jobs, pack belongings into warehouses and head out in to the unknown just one year after Rob had been declared in remission from cancer for the second time. We wanted to enjoy life together while we had it!
As amateur mountaineers and climbers we had always dreamed of the seven summits (the highest mountain on each of the seven continents)…. and in May of 2002 we set out to make our dream reality. However, the beginning of our journey was not without yet further health setbacks. Rob’s life was in the balance once again when early on in our training/practice at altitude in Nepal, Rob developed a totally obstructed bowel. At 4,500 metres, where your blood is already thickened due to altitude he became dangerously dehydrated compounding the situation further. Critically ill, Rob felt his time was near. Eventually the weather broke allowing the rescue helicopter safe passage. After more than two weeks in Nepalese and Thai hospitals, sustained by intravenous drips, he was back in the UK having major abdominal surgery and all our plans were on hold for six months. Undeterred by yet another health hurdle, Rob and I started training again and finally began to live our dream of climbing the Seven Summits in May 2003.