“With the injury, it’s a way to test myself on what I can do,” said Fejtek, a 1988 Hoover High graduate born with Brachial Plexus Palsy, a disorder resulting from nerve damage to the arm, spine or hand. “I like to push the limits that might be ahead of me because I like a good challenge.”
Fejtek, who resides in Newport Beach and works as a managing director for Hunter Wise Financial Group in Irvine, is set for yet another big challenge. He’s formulated an itinerary and made the final preparations to climb the 16,024-foot Carstensz Pyramid in Papua Province, Indonesia today.
With the proper equipment in tow, Fejtek will scale the snow-swept mountain’s rough terrains while accompanied by his wife, Denise. To help him complete the journey, which will take about three weeks, Fejtek will use a claw device that he created several years ago. It’s a wrist brace that he fashioned from a Home Depot coat hook to help overcome some of the mountain’s rough exteriors.
“I’m not necessarily a thrill seeker,” said the 37-year-old Fejtek, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from USC in 1992. “There’s a lot of energy and adrenaline exerted.
“You go in knowing that the altitude can cost you your life. So, I’ve got to find a way to continue to mitigate those risks.”
Fejtek must know what he’s doing, and it’s being done with a humanistic touch. He’s in the process of climbing the Seven Summits to raise funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which provides opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics.
He’s on the right path.
Fejtek has already successfully reached the summits of Aconcagua in Argentina and Elbrus in Russia. Eventually, he would like to climb Mt. Vinson in Antarctica and Mt. Everest in the Himalayas.
