CLIMBING EVEREST for my daughter

After devastating loss, Karina embarked on a journey of healing

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Trekking to Everest base camp is something Karina Goldsworthy had wanted to do for many years. But it wasn't a fitness goal or because she wanted to tick something off a bucket list - it was something far more personal. Her 10-year old daughter, Sophie, died in a medical episode at home in 2016 and as the highest point Karina could get to, Everest Base Camp felt like the closest the mum could be to her. It was also for her daughter Hannah, now 21, who had been so horribly impacted by her sister's tragic death.

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"I wanted her to be proud of me and to show her what we can achieve even if we've been through the worst - we can still follow our dreams," Karina, 48, from the Sunshine Coast tells Woman's Day. "As a mum it was so important for me not to fail." At the start of 2025 the window of possibility opened, leaving Karina just 13 weeks to train for the 10-day hike.

"I had a PT who made sure I was fit. I was walking everywhere with a weighted vest and doing strength sessions," Karina says. "It was also about getting my mind ready. I was going solo and would be away from Hannah for Sophie's nine-year anniversary. I knew there would be some internal struggle but I was determined if I was there, I wouldn't give up."

Karina's first challenge was waiting for her when she arrived in Nepal. Bad weather in Kathmandu meant flights to the start of the walk had been cancelled.