One Step at a Time: A Climb Up Mount Kilimanjaro

Dr. Joel Batzofin was born in Africa, but he’d never considered climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. As a physician with a thriving Manhattan fertility medicine practice, he’d never contemplated climbing any mountain, much less a summit in Tanzania. But when he agreed to join his daughter Tammy on a trek up the peak, he embarked on the greatest adventure of his life.

Batzofin and Tammy quickly learned to appreciate the conveniences of home. The terrain was rough. Their eclectic traveling party included family, friends, trail guides, and some unpleasant tourists.

Personalities sometimes clashed, but the beautiful, dangerous countryside and the impoverished, hopeful local people awakened Batzofin’s spirit in ways he couldn’t have predicted. Thoughts of his mentally and physically disabled brother, his many hopeful fertility patients, and the faces of the poor children around him led Batzofin to donate his medical energy and financial resources to a small rural hospital. When he finally reached the summit, Batzofin realized his perspective on life had changed forever.

Through his memoir, One Step at a Time, Batzofin shares his Kilimanjaro experience, from physical hardships to philosophical musings. He hopes to inspire others to find the powerful lessons that lurk beneath unexpected challenges.