Aretha Duarte Post-Everest: Health, Faith, New Goals
Pulmonary edema, corneal burns, and returning to routine marked the mountaineer's journey on the roof of the world.
In an interview with XTREMMA Sports, Aretha Duarte detailed the most critical moments of her Everest expedition, including severe health issues on the mountain. The climber also shared how faith and perseverance shaped her return and her focus on social initiatives.
Reaching the summit of Mount Everest transforms any mountaineer's path, but the reality behind that achievement goes far beyond the summit photo. Speaking with Shubi Guimarães on the XTREMMA Sports podcast—in an episode covering her entire journey—Aretha Duarte opened up about the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll of her expedition, as well as the challenges she faced upon returning to Brazil.
Health setbacks and safety protocols on the roof of the world
The ascent to 8,848 meters demanded immediate resilience against two severe medical conditions during the acclimatization phase. During her first rotation toward Camp 1, Duarte suffered acute pulmonary edema, with her oxygen saturation dropping to 70%. To safely descend to Base Camp, she had to rely on supplemental oxygen as early as Camp 2—a measure typically reserved for Camp 3 and above, around 7,500 meters. At Base Camp, she followed a strict medical protocol involving complete bed rest, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and cough syrups, recovering within two days.
Shortly after, the mountaineer faced another setback: a corneal burn caused by intense snow glare. Lacking specific medication to treat the injury immediately, Duarte spent two days blindfolded inside her tent, relying on team members for help with meals and basic movement. The incident underscored the unforgiving nature of high-altitude environments—where she encountered four deceased climbers along the route—reinforcing the critical necessity of adhering strictly to safety protocols.
The spiritual dimension and the mountain's permission
For Duarte, technical training and physical conditioning were essential, but they could not carry her alone. Testing her body's physical limits deepened her spiritual connection, strengthening her conviction that reaching the summit also requires permission from the mountain itself. This experience taught her to embrace vulnerability without letting fear or anxiety paralyze her progress.
The culture shock of returning home and finding purpose
After spending 64 days in Nepal—54 of them acclimatizing on the mountain—returning home required an abrupt adjustment in pace. A grueling media schedule, featuring two to three interviews daily over two consecutive months, led to severe mental fatigue. The non-stop retelling of the same story caused a temporary burnout regarding her Everest experience.
Once the wave of media attention subsided, Duarte refocused on the core mission of her athletic career. Partnering with Bernardo through Altitude Fly, she structured community projects and funded the installation of climbing walls in the low-income neighborhood where she lives, turning the lessons learned at 8,848 meters into positive collective impact.