For more than 10 hours, Lai managed to pull herself up more than 250 meters in an attempt to raise money for spinal cord patients.
“I was scared,” said Lai. “When I’m climbing a mountain I can hold on to rocks or small holes, but with glass I can only really trust the rope I’m hanging.”
The event raised $ 670,639 ($ 5.2 million Hong Kong dollar) in donations.
The 37-year-old climber was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident 10 years ago. Before that, he had been crowned Asia champion for rock climbing four times and at one point was ranked eighth worldwide.
After his accident, he resumed climbing by attaching his wheelchair to a pulley system and using the strength of his upper body to lift himself. Five years ago, he climbed the 495-meter Lion Rock mountain, a symbol of the local folk culture of Hong Kong’s strength and perseverance.
“Besides just living, I wondered what drives me? So I started chasing that, knowing there was a possibility that I could climb mountains, even in a wheelchair,” Lai said. “In a way I forgot I was disabled, I could still dream and I could still do what I loved to do.”
On Saturday, Lai was unable to reach the top of the 300-meter-high Nina Tower due to safety concerns. But, he said, he hoped his climb could send a message.
“Some people don’t understand the difficulties of people with disabilities, some people think we are always weak, we need help, we need help, we need people’s compassion,” he said.
“But, I want to tell everyone, it doesn’t have to be that way. If a disabled person can shine, they can bring opportunity, hope and light at the same time, they don’t need to be looked at.