N.J. man in a wheelchair accomplishes extraordinary trek up Mount Kilimanjaro

A New Jersey man is the 46th person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair.

Peter Gagliardo, a Helen Hayes Hospital adaptive sports coordinator, was paralyzed from the waist down after a motorcycle accident 20 years ago.

"In the disability community, getting out of bed can be someone's Mount Kilimanjaro," he said. "It can be that difficult for somebody, depending on their ability level."

The 41-year-old says he took the high-altitude trek with a friend and 30 others who helped them prove anything is possible.

"What we did was a journey. Like, we went in there not knowing where the world was going to take us," Gagliardo said.

He used a specialized wheelchair called a Paratrek that's designed for rugged terrain.

"It's a mountain. There's no [Americans with Disabilities Act] law," he said. "It's the law of the land, and the land is not kind to wheel users."

Gagliardo says his wife, who died of a rare cancer last year, was his guiding light.

"Once you got to like 12,000 feet, you were above the clouds. Literally looked like you were in heaven," he said. "So just looking out there, you can just, you just know she was there."

The climb took six and a half days.

Gagliardo and his team made it to the top, but stopped from going to the peak due to altitude concerns.

"We got the view," he said. "We were literally that close. That 50 yards, though, was still another hour."

He says the journey taught him to accept help from others and to live outside his comfort zone.

"Take the opportunity to say yes sometimes. Nos get you stuck," he said.

Gagliardo says he wants to make it those last 50 yards. An anonymous donor has stepped in, and he plans to return to Mount Kilimanjaro next year.