The mountaineering legend, close friend and well-wisher of Nepal Sir Edmund Hillary has been hospitalised in his home-country New Zealand.
The 87-year-old conqueror of Everest was admitted to hospital on Sunday after returning home from a trip to Kathmandu in Nepal, say media reports.
Reports say that though there has been no official comment on the nature of his illness, his wife — Lady June — says he is in a comfortable condition and improves daily.
The New Zealand Herald reports that Sir Edmund illness is not life-threatening, although he is being closely monitored.
A renowned personality, Hillary’s illness has concerned people in both Nepal and New Zealand. Reports from his home country say that New Zealand ‘s Prime Minister Helen Clark has sent a goodwill message to mountaineering legend who is in an Auckland hospital. Ms Clark’s message said: “There’s no one we love more.”
“Everyone will be thinking of Sir Ed, he’s a national icon,” Miss Clark said. “There’s no one we love more. I think the message from every single one of us is `hang in there Sir Ed, we love you’,” she said on Radio New Zealand.
Along with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Hillary conquered Everest for the first time in 1953. He is believed to have fallen during the weekend, the New Zealand Herald newspaper’s Web site reported. Hillary has suffered from altitude sickness for many years and has walked with the aid of a cane for the past several years.
He is a regular visitor to Nepal and had visited the country recently. In Nepal he has helped fund various projects for the development of mountain community. He has been critical of crass commercialization of mountains.