Wheelchair athlete prepares for Mount Kilimanjaro climb: 'It's going to feel special'

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.

>

---------- * More Hudson Valley news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Download our connected TV app Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness NewsHave a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.

>