Wheelchair athlete prepares for Mount Kilimanjaro climb: 'It's going to feel special'
WEST HAVERSTRAW, New York (WABC) -- Peter Gagliardo, an adaptive sports coordinator and peer counselor at Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Hospital, is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, a feat achieved by only 45 other wheelchair users.
Gagliardo, who has used a wheelchair since a motorcycle accident 20 years ago, said his goal is to show what is possible while living with a disability. He works full time at Helen Hayes, where he helps people return to activities they enjoyed before being injured.
"We're doing everything that you can think of to get people like myself back to doing what they loved before they got injured," Gagliardo said.
One of those people is former patient Freddy Tiburcio, who participates in adaptive sports and recreational activities.
"We do marathons, and all the different activities," Tiburcio said. "Wheelchair softball. Fishing."
Gagliardo and Matt Castelluccio, who previously worked at the hospital, are preparing for the expedition. Gagliardo said some of the challenge is mental, particularly for someone accustomed to independence.
"For somebody like me who is fiercely independent, I need no help in any part of my daily life," he said. "I know for a fact I need to take a step back and ask on this journey."
Training for the climb includes hand cycling. The most difficult terrain will be traversed in a specially designed off-road wheelchair known as a Paratrek.
Gagliardo said part of his motivation comes from his late wife, Maria, who died of cancer in 2025.
"This trip and being that close to heaven, it's going to feel special," he said.
While Gagliardo described the expedition as an emotional journey, he said he hopes the climb will inspire others facing their own challenges.
"My Mount Kilimanjaro is Mount Kilimanjaro," he said. "However, you know, depending on your disability, it might be as simple as getting out of bed that day. And I just want people to put in that extra effort and try to be the best that they possibly can be."
The journey is scheduled to begin next week.
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