Veteran and amputee inspires with each death-defying climb
Sheeka Sanahori
Militarykind
Kirstie Ennis is on a mission to become the first female amputee to climb the highest peaks on every continent. She's well on her way to accomplishing her latest mission.
"It reminds you of your resiliency, it reminds you of your independence, it's a fight," Ennis said. "Quite literally an uphill battle and I love it."
Ennis is used to tough battles. She joined the U.S. Marine Corp when she was 17, following in the footsteps of both of her parents.
She was deployed to Afghanistan twice. During her second deployment, a helicopter crash changed her life.
"I lost my entire jaw, my teeth, especially on the right side. And then I just screamed. I screamed mostly out of shock, not pain," she said. "One of the Army medics that we picked up got in my face and told me not to close my eyes again because I wouldn't open them and then everything went black."
Ennis had a traumatic brain injury, and she lost her leg. After six years in the Marine Corps., she was forced to medically retire.
Ennis said she joined the military to serve people, so her injury made it hard for her to imagine what she would do next with her life.
"The main thing that saved me, saved me from myself, really was my dad telling me, 'You've got to be shittin' me. The enemy couldn't kill you, and you're going to do it for them?'" And that's the first time that'd I'd ever seen my dad cry, and that's the first time that it hit me. This life you're living isn't meant to be lived for yourself."
Since that talk with her father, Ennis changed her perspective. She's now focused on inspiring others and paying it forward.
Watch the video above to hear how Ennis persevered despite challenges
Ennis raises money for non-profits from her climbs and from modeling. She was the first amputee to pose for a fundraiser calendar for the nonprofit organization called Pin-ups for Vets, which raises money to help hospitalized veterans and deployed troops.
"Makeup and dresses typically aren't the thing that I do, I jumped at the opportunity because I recognized the fact that when I was in the hospital, I didn't have that role model to look up to," Ennis said.
But it's the climbs that really make her feel the most alive. Mount Carstensz has been her most memorable to date.
"We got to a section where I had to rappel down and I just, I snapped, I started crying. I was terrified," she said. "I thought I was going to die on the rappel down and my camera guy, an awesome dude named Ken looked at me and was like, 'You need to get your shit together. This is the part where everyone dies.' And I just sat there for a little bit, again petrified. That's probably the most scared I've ever been. And I was just like, alright, we're going to go for it and we're going to get off this mountain."
Once again, she was able to draw on the strength of someone close to her. A helpful reminder got her over her slump.
They all successfully made it up and off that mountain -- the highest peak in Indonesia.
Ennis has also successfully summited Denali and Mount Kilimanjaro. By the looks of it, she has no intention of slowing down.