A 50-year-old nurse from Zhengzhou, Henan province climbed over 8,200 meters up Mount Everest on May 17. Though she didn’t make it to the top, as she had hoped, the difficult journey was a huge challenge and accomplishment for the intrepid adventurer.

Dong Lili works at a hospital affiliated with Zhengzhou University. After becoming interested in outdoor sports several years ago, she successively climbed Mount Song, crossed Mount Qin, and summited Mount Siguniang and Rongme Ngatra.

Climbing Everest was always a dream for Dong. However, when she tried for the first time in 2015, she encountered the major Nepal earthquake, which abruptly brought her journey to an end at the Everest South Base Camp. Fortunately, Dong was unhurt in the quake, and even drew on her nursing skills to help many of those injured around her.

On April 10 of this year, Dong embarked on her second attempt, beginning adaptive training at camp and waiting for the best time to climb in mid-May. She set off from the camp with fellow climbers on May 17. After three days, they arrived at Camp C4 and began working toward the summit on the afternoon of the same day. After becoming exhausted at an altitude of 8,200 meters, Dong decided to go down out of safety concerns.

On her way back, she encountered a South Korean climber who had fallen unconscious. Dong provided him with water and medicine and contacted a local aid organization, which ultimately ensured his rescue.

Currently, Dong has returned to Nepal’s capital city of Katmandu. According to her friends and colleagues, she has never given up anything; she accomplishes whatever she sets out to do, no matter how difficult it is.