On top of the world

By: Rebecca Jania

Posted: 2/3/03

At one time, Jeffrey Dyrek was unable to sit through his classes at Western Illinois University without feeling immense pain. However, in 2002, he made the journey to stand on the geographical North Pole.

Dyrek became physically challenged due to a 200-foot fall onto rocks during a hike in June of 1977. After his injury, he worked 11 years as an avionics technician and an automated test programmer. He was eventually unable to work and was placed on full-disability retirement. He went bankrupt and moved to Illinois, where he took classes in Western’s industrial technology department.

During his junior year, Dyrek was unable to move between or sit through classes. He stopped attending classes because sitting up for more than 20 minutes would make him ill and give him long-lasting stomach pains.

To satisfy his need for mental stimulation, he started his own Web site, www.yellowairplane.com.

Dyrek was asked to help sell North Pole expeditions through the site.

“I said to myself, ‘North Pole Expeditions! This sounds great! I want to go to the North Pole myself!’” Dyrek said.

Through his efforts to help send others to the North Pole, Dyrek realized that most of the trip required trip participants to be in a lying position. When a man in a wheelchair visited the North Pole in 2001, Dyrek realized that he too could make the trip.

However, money proved to be a large hurdle for Dyrek.

“The money I needed for the trip started coming in from everywhere. I was hired as a tour guide by GE Adventures, which lowered my trip costs. I sold my motorcycle and still had to borrow $3,500 to afford the trip and have a little spending money,” Dyrek said.

Once he had enough money, the trip that he had fantasized about for two years came to life. He was part of a 26-person team. Two of his team members included Liz Nelson, the oldest woman to visit the North Pole and Siamak Hatami, the first Iranian to visit the North Pole.

The expedition visited various sites, including Moscow, Lenin’s tomb, Star City, the Woolly Mammoth Digs in Khatanga, the Siberian Tundra, the world’s most northern airfield and the North Pole.

“The idea of standing on the very top of the world and having the entire earth spinning below you at this one certain spot creates a feeling that you will never forget. Every direction you look is south. Walking in a small circle enables a person to step into every longitudinal section of the planet within a few seconds. Standing on top of the world is a truly different experience,” Dyrek said.

While Dyrek enjoyed visiting the North Pole, it wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience.

“I was in a lot of pain. I just never felt good because of the problems in my abdomen and the fact that I caught the flu just three days before my departure,” Dyrek said.

However, the trip helped Dyrek to find better health in his everyday life.

“My abdominal pain was actually caused by an adhesion that formed after I had a diaphragm and hernia repair. But because of the rigors of the trip, the adhesion broke and I’m now feeling much better and I am now, almost, not disabled,” Dyrek said.

“I have been disabled for a total of 25 years, and, at this point, my life has been changed for the better because of the expedition.”

Dyrek hopes to inspire other people, physically challenged or not, to follow their dreams.

“If someone thinks that a goal is impossible, they are on the wrong road to success. If a poor, broken-down, 48-year-old man like me can go to the North Pole, you can too. If you want it to be, you have to apply the effort, and then you can stand on top of the world.”