How Peruvian Mountaineer found Healing by Scaling the World’s Seven Highest Mountaintops.

She is Silvia Vásquez-Lavado, recognized for being the first Peruvian woman to conquer Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

Some stories inspire and motivate you to move forward despite the adversities or situations of the moment. Silvia’s story is a clear example of seeing the good and taking advantage of everything that life gives us.

Despite being a victim of sexual violence as a child this Peruvian Mountaineer found healing by scaling the world’s seven highest mountaintops.

After conquering the summit of Everest, she set out to captivate the world’s readers with her life story. She inspires us with her book ‘In the Shadow of the Mountain‘.

“I had to touch on the pain I went through as a child and the alcoholism this brought along with other problems. The hardest thing was to remember many details and situations, but I am very proud and have been able to tell everything without shame or fear, and in a very open way” said Silvia Vasquez-Lavado.

The book, which will be translated into five languages, went on sale on February 1, 2022, in the United States, and today it is for sale in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India, among other English-speaking countries. It will also be published in French, German, Korean, Japanese, and Polish, For now, we are awaiting a Spanish version.

“Hopefully this book will serve as a little door to help inspire other people and help them see that they are not alone because, after the trauma, I felt that I was very lonely and no one was going to be able to understand me. In the book, I have told it ‘a calzón quitado’ (in the open), as they say it here”, added the mountaineer to the media.

But it doesn’t stop here, Silvia’s joy continues, as her story will be made into a movie starring actress Selena Gomez, who will embody her life in the film.

The exact release date of the film is yet to be announced, but what is clear is that Sylvia’s tale is a different type of story that will surely leave a message of inspiration. It is a call to climb our personal “mountain” and entertain one’s own adventure of self-discovery as Silvia recounts.

“Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. Her incredibly warm voice reveals how she rose from the darkest moments of her life to become an inspiration and advocate for others. This book is a testament to the power of extraordinary vulnerability, empathy, and selflessness and a reaffirmation of the healing that comes from building a community. I’m in awe of her strength and courage that she has captured so beautifully in this memoir.”

—Selena Gomez