Filed under: Tennis
Fear, Martina Navratilova was saying the other day, is always bigger than the act. She used to dread flying, so she got her pilot's license. Drowning terrified her, so she learned to scuba dive. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was meant to be the logical extension in a life spent pushing boundaries and swatting away phobias. The tennis legend who earlier this year battled breast cancer was four days into her trek up the 19,341-foot mountain in Tanzania when she became ill around the 14,800-foot level Friday, and had to be assisted down by porters.
Navratilova, 54, was driven first to the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and then flown to Nairobi Hospital, where tests showed she was suffering from high altitude pulmonary edema -- an accumulation of fluid in the lungs.
Dr David Silverstein, consultant in cardiology and internal medicine at Nairobi Hospital, said Navratilova was being treated with diuretics to remove the fluid, and was expected to be hospitalized for two to three days. "It is potentially dangerous when someone is at high altitude, but once brought down, recovery is quick. Martina is doing well and will continue to do well," he said. "There will be no effects to long term health and patients get back to full fitness in due course. Martina's acute condition is not reflective of her health or fitness. It occurs in some people in conditions of low oxygen."
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