Vishal Shukla, 24, was in a body surfing accident in 2022 that left him unable to even lift a finger.

“I instantly shattered my c5 vertebrae,” Shukla said. “Just like a light switch, I broke my neck and I got paralyzed from the neck down.”

Doctors initially told Shukla he'd never walk again — a devastating prognosis for a young man who had spent his life surfing, hiking, and mountain climbing.

“I was literally just seeing my own body deteriorate just laying down for two weeks at a time,” Shukla said. “My fingernails stopped growing, my muscles were atrophying.”

Shukla said he found strength and inspiration while looking at his phone and seeing photos of Mount Hood in Oregon.

“It would be awesome if, at some point in my life, I could recover to the point where I could climb Mount Hood." 

As most goals go, it began with baby steps. First the twitch of a finger, then standing up and shuffling forward.

Ten steps led to 60 steps, which led to 200 steps. Just one month after his accident, Shukla walked one mile.

"If Vishal had just sat around and not put in the effort early on, it's very unlikely he'd be able to move the way he's moving now,” Intermountain Health physical therapist Peter Spence said. 

Just 14 months after being told he may never walk again, Shukla stood at the top of Oregon’s Mount Hood.

“I did want to give up at least a dozen times, but I knew for a fact a month from now, when I’m comfortable at home in my own house, knowing I did not climb the summit of that mountain when it was only a mile away, I’d just be full of regret,” Shukla said.

Scaling Mount Hood wasn't just a personal goal. Shukla was able to raise more than $1,600 for Neuroworx, a non-profit rehab facility in Utah.