At the age of nine years old Kala was asked by her primary school teacher to read a passage from a book out-loud. A typical request, but one which proved to be a turning point in Kala’s life as she struggled to get the words out and felt herself becoming increasingly self-conscious. At such a young age Kala wasn’t to know she had developed a stammer and growing up in the late 1980’s in Malaysia there wasn’t much in the way of treatment or understanding. In addition, her father, who suffered from his own mental health problems, dealt with the situation with anger and frustration often shouting at Kala when she struggled to produce words. However, through the confusion one of his stories stuck with her and would inadvertently change her life for the better - the story of the first woman to climb Mount Everest, Junko Tabei - and it was at that moment that Kala realised her life ambition.
Since then the seed of a dream to climb Mount Everest has grown, and although still not realised, Kala has gone on to climb fourteen mountains in the past twenty years from Mount Perak in Malaysia to Ben Nevis in Scotland and Mt Aconcagua Base Camp in Argentina. During her climbs she’s taken on the role of team leader, coach and individual climber and each time her confidence to speak, especially to strangers, has grown as well as her drive to conquer her stammer for good.
Today, Kala acknowledges that her stammer shaped her adolescence and early adulthood leaving her isolated and awkward, regardless of whether it was speaking with family, friends, work colleagues or strangers. As a result she has been inspired to write down her own personal experiences on how she was able to manage her stammer in the hope that it will show others who are affected -whether they’re nine or even ninety years old- that they don’t need to feel embarrassed, distance themselves from other people or forget their own dreams and aspirations.
Complimented by a selection of photos from her own adventures, Shouting From the Summits, provides not only a charming and motivational read but also a good dose of inspiration to adventure and travel enthusiasts.
