Contact: media@bannerhealth.com
GLENDALE, Ariz. (March 6, 2019) – At age 73, pediatric nurse Betty Schley continues to enjoy challenging herself to reach new heights – literally!
How many people can say they've climbed the tallest mountain in Africa? Schley can. She decided to do something unique for her birthday, and recently traded in her nursing scrubs for winter jackets and hiking boots for a 68-mile hike on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The trail journey took her eight days.
She reached the top of Uhuru Peak, Africa’s highest peak on the world’s tallest free-standing mountain. Her fellow hikers helped her celebrate her birthday along the way.
The full-time nurse works at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, and regularly makes time for world-traveling adventures. Her journeys have taken her to all seven continents. She has gone scuba diving in the Red Sea and Thailand, and ice diving in Canada.
While most people her age are taking things slow in life, Schley is making the most out of hers and credits her work in helping children as ongoing inspiration to stay healthy, active and young at heart.
“I tell everyone, you’re only as old as you think you are,” she said. “If you think you can’t do it, then you’ll never do it.”
Schley was also recently highlighted on the storytelling podcast Bedside Stories. In the episode “A Lifetime of Good Karma,” Schley shared funny and insightful tales from throughout her lifelong nursing career. She began as a nursing volunteer at just 13 years old.
Bedside Stories is available on iTunes, Spotify and Anchor.
About Banner Thunderbird Medical Center
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, Arizona, specializes in heart care, surgical services, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency and trauma care, behavioral health, cancer care, rehabilitation and pediatrics, including the West Valley’s only pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric Emergency department and Level III neonatal intensive care unit. Banner Thunderbird also operates a Level I Trauma Center for patients ages 15 and older. The hospital is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health system with 28 hospitals in six states. For more information, please visit www.BannerHealth.com/Thunderbird<http://www.BannerHealth.com/Thunderbird.