Australian man Jason Kennison dies during Mount Everest climb

A 40-year-old Australian man has died while descending Mount Everest.

Jason Kennison, a South Australian living in Perth, died during the descent on Friday morning.

His father Jock Kennison said he was notified of his son's death by local police early yesterday.

Jason Kennison had been in Nepal for the previous six weeks to prepare for the climb.

His body is yet to be recovered.

His sister Michelle Graham told the ABC that Mr Kennison had accomplished his goal of reaching the peak.

"We are so proud of his achievements and we take great solace in knowing he made it to the summit. The highest place on this earth," she said.

"Jason was one to live a full life.

"He would put his mind to something, set a goal and achieve it.

"His family are heartbroken and he will be forever missed."

Mr Kennison, who twice had to learn how to walk again, trained for the climb to raise funds for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia.

At the age of 23, Mr Kennison was in a vehicle accident which resulted in traumatic injuries to his femur and shoulder.

Mr Kennison said on his Just Giving page he became depressed following the accident.

"My recovery journey was slow, but after a year of battling depression, countless hours of rehab and self-driven motivation, I started to see improvements both mentally and physically," he wrote.

"I first began to regain function in my arms and legs, and slowly started to learn to walk again."

After his recovery, Mr Kennison returned to work, working at mine sites in both South Australia and Queensland, before working overseas as a coach and mentor in developing countries such as Kyrgyzstan.

Three years ago after suffering from progressive back pain, Mr Kennison had to undergo a routine spinal procedure.

The procedure did not go as planned, resulting in nerve damage, which required Mr Kennison to learn how to walk yet again.

"It was tough to accept that once again, I felt back at square one and another setback to overcome," he wrote.

"With the same mindset and resilience that I had adopted in the past, I again committed to rehab and physio, learning to walk again after an extended time off work."

Mr Kennison wrote on his Just Giving page that Mount Everest was "a long way from once battling traumatic injuries and the low and dark days of depression".

"An ambitious feat that I would never have dreamed of, or thought was possible after once being told that I would not be able to walk."

Mr Kennison is survived by his parents Jock and Gill and his five siblings.

Story By: Sara Garcia and Chris McLoughlin

Original Story link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-22/sa-adelaide-man-dies-on-mount-everest/102375832?fbclid=IwAR22QILDq2qgNbW2zZR5e0uGYzMUfIeRjaRUMP3z7OqhcnoLSn8OrIzjo0k