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Outlook: Climbing Everest with One Leg

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Arunima Sinha (credit: Getty Images/STRDEL/Stringer)

05/10/2017 GMT

Climbing Everest with One Leg

BBC World Service - Outlook, Climbing Everest with One Leg

Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to reach the top of the world's highest mountain

Arunima Sinha was a keen volleyball player and had won a place on the Indian National Team, but a train journey changed her life forever.

It all began when Arunima Sinha was 24. She was a keen volleyball player and had won a place on the Indian National Team. She was on a train, travelling from her home in Uttar Pradesh state to the capital Delhi to take up a job which would allow her to compete and earn money at the same time when a terrible train accident happened. She lost her leg, but didn't give up hope. Instead she developed an incredible ambition; to climb the world's highest mountain. And she made it.

Amanda Owen's mother wanted her to be a model, but Amanda ended sharing a farm with 1,000 sheep and a herd of cows. She lives in the Yorkshire Dales, in the beautiful countryside in the north of England.  As you approach the main house, there's a sign at the gate that says 'slow down, free range children' - that's because Amanda has 9 of them who all live on the farm with her too. It's an isolated area and the closest maternity ward is 2 hours away, which means that many of Amanda's children were born in some rather unexpected places.

What does the sea look like at a depth of 5,000 metres? Shipwreck hunter David Mearns is the man to ask because his job is to scour the oceans and find the wrecks of ill-fated ships. David has made some extraordinary discoveries on the ocean floor, including locating world war two battleships, and has helped grieving families learn about their loved ones' final moments at sea. 

Asma Khan was born in India - the second daughter of a wealthy family. She says being a second daughter is not easy in that country. Asma overcame the prejudice to train as a lawyer but then she turned her back on the law and became a chef. She's just opened her own restaurant in London where she combines her two passions; good food and supporting undervalued women.

Image: Arunima Sinha
Credit: Getty Images/STRDEL/Stringer

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