How A 'Spirit of Trekking' Badge Impacted A Trekker After The Trek

On my last Dayara Bugyal Stargazing Trek, there was a trekker named Tanvi who was diagnosed with Multiple Sceloris (an auto-immune disease which affects the nervous system and the condition deteroriates over time). She is a strong willed person and has done trekked in the past. This was the first time she was trekking with Indiahikes.

She was mostly at the back of the group but with a lot of positivity. She never missed out on any experience or any of the learnings despite the harsh weather conditions or staying up late. She even motivated her husband for the final summit push, since he was scared of heights.

I was impressed by this eagerness to learn despite so many challenges for her. In our team only Yashika (Assistant Trek Leader) and I were aware that she had Multiple Sclerosis. After the debriefing, we gave her the Spirit of Trekking badge due to her resilience, determination, curiosity to learn and be a great team player. She was really happy and told that this small badge can inspire many other people having the same illness.

After the trek, the bought Carl Sagan's book 'Cosmos' (she got to know of this from our conversations during the Stargazing sessions). Even now she has been sharing information from the book with the other trekkers on the WhatsApp group.

Her story was shared on a community which inspires people with Multiple Sceloris to lead a normal life by sharing stories like this.

"Delhi MS Connect (MSSI Delhi) is proud to introduce Tanvi Chaturvedi, an inspiration to people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) worldwide. Her grit and determination are qualities we can all learn from.

👉 Here’s a glimpse into her incredible journey.

Tanvi, a Technical Lead at Walmart, is passionate about cycling 🚴‍♀️ , trekking, and running 🏃‍♀️ , with trekking being her greatest love.

However, in 2017, her life took a challenging turn ↪️ when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), affecting her strength, balance, and ability to walk.

The diagnosis later progressed to the second stage of Relapse-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Despite these obstacles, Tanvi never stopped seeking ways to motivate herself.

Tanvi wrapped up 2024 with yet another feat—a trek to Dayara Bugyal (11,380 ft) with India Hikes, where she was honoured with the prestigious "Spirit of Trekking" badge. 🏅

A well-known mantra exists in the multiple sclerosis (MS) community. “𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭.”

Tanvi has conquered MS more than the height of 11,380 ft of Dayara Bugyal, she continues to face the mountains of MS with courage and determination, inspiring all of us to persevere against life’s toughest peaks."

Read the full LinkedIn post by Delhi MS Connect on Tanvi here.

She shared this message with me; "My story was shared there. Look how the support and gesture from you and the leaders have gone length in inspiring people like me! Glad to have met you - a beautiful heart!"