Mandy Horvath

The ascent began on her 28th birthday, and took her 6 days to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro's tallest point, Uruhu Peak.

She was accompanied by a team of guides known as Ahsante Tours, and assisted by a leader of the group, Julius John White, in hazardous areas.

Ms. Horvath was also accompanied by a team of documentarians.

The climb was dedicated to benefitting the efforts of Conservation Through Tourism, an organization located in Moshi, Tanzania.

Mandy Horvath (born June 10,1993) is a Colorado based American bi-lateral above knee amputee, creative writer, public speaker, actress and mountaineer.

She is notable as the first female bi-lateral amputee to summit the Manitou Incline, Pikes Peak (twice), the Statue of Liberty stairwell to the crown, and Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, without the use of prosthetic equipment- using her arms and hands to crawl.

Her successful ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro also awards her title of the first legless woman to summit one of the world's Eight Summits without the aid of prosthetic equipment.

Mandy was born in Missouri, June 10, 1993.

The older of two children, she was raised by her parents, in the North Kansas City suburb of Smithville, MO.

She graduated high-school at the age of 16, and started working in the culinary industry prior to the incident that resulted in her amputations.

Strong was injured in 2006, in an explosion that occurred in Baghdad.

Inspired by Horvath to go further, the pair labelled themselves the "Legless Legends," and dedicated the climb to raising awareness for the veteran non-profit, Cars4Heroes.org.

An organization dedicated to providing reliable transportation to veterans and their families.

Horvath was struck by a locomotive in July 2014, severing her lower extremities from her body above the knee.

Mandy is also known for her candid insights to her life as an amputee in television appearances, radio, press, film and creative writing.

On July 26, 2014, Mandy was struck by a locomotive near a bar in Steele City, Nebraska.

After consuming two beers and two shots while playing pool inside the tavern throughout the evening, she walked outside and blacked out, regaining consciousness in an ambulance with no lower extremities.

She believes she was incapacitated by a date rape drug, but was woken from a medically induced coma several days later without the ability to test for the drugs in her system.

The authorities had written the incident off as a suicide attempt.

Horvath's date of that night suspiciously died of carbon monoxide poisoning, just a few months later that year.

He was found deceased within the cab of a vehicle, in a closed garage.

The authorities labelled his death an accident despite his profession as a heavy equipment operator.

Nearly a year into recovery from the initial trauma, Horvath was set back again, having to be re-amputated due to a rare form of bone regeneration.

After the 2014 incident that resulted in Horvath's limb loss, she struggled with unanswered questions, depression, PTSD and alcoholism.

In 2016 she relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and became a collegiate student at UCCS, The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

She went internationally viral in 2017, and in 2019, for her creatively written profiles on the popular dating platform, Tinder.

April 23, 2018, Mandy Horvath became the first female bi-lateral above knee amputee to ascend the Manitou Incline without the use of prosthetic equipment in an effort to raise awareness for Limb loss Awareness Month.

Horvath's first ascent took 5 hours and she was carried down Barr Trail by 2 that accompanied her.

On the evening of June 10, 2018, Horvath's 25th birthday, she and Daniel Pond, a mountaineering guide and marine veteran, began their ascent of Pikes Peak, from the base of the Manitou Incline.

June 13, 2018: 74 Hours later, crawling all 13 miles of Barr Trail unassisted by carrying, experiencing severe inflammation to her hands, a delayed hypersensitive reaction to the alpine region's wildflowers, and a myriad of weather, she and Pond safely ascended to the 14,115 ft summit of Pikes Peak, becoming the first bi-lateral amputee ever to do so without the aid of prosthetic equipment.

Met at the summit by a crowd of cheering spectators, she was embraced by her parents and her younger sibling.

The climb was devoted to fundraising for two veteran non-profit organizations: The Battle Buddy Foundation, and Operation Ward 57.

In August 2019, Mandy led fellow bi-lateral amputee and Army veteran, SGT Travis Strong, up Barr Trail to ascend Pikes Peak.

On the evening of August 18, 2019, Ms. Horvath safely made her second ascent of Pikes Peak, and Strong made his first, making him the first male bi-lateral amputee to climb Pikes Peak without the aid of prosthetic equipment.

Promptly after descending the mountain, the two were able to donate a vehicle to a local veteran on behalf of the non-profit in Manitou Springs.

September 28, 2019, Mandy became the first recorded bi-lateral amputee to crawl up the steps of the Statue of Liberty to the crown, without the aid of prosthetic equipment.

A video of her ascending the stairs to be greeted by Park Rangers went viral, and she utilized the notoriety to raise awareness for veteran non-profit, Cars4Heroes.

Mandy Horvath also became the first woman in recorded history to summit one of the world's Eight Summits, Mount Kilimanjaro, by crawling, on June 16, 2021.

In an interview prior to the attempt, Horvath said she had an estimated 40 pairs of gloves and expected the climb to take 10–14 days depending on weather and other factors.

In December 2020, Mandy Horvath was fitted for prosthetic legs by prosthetist Stan Patterson at Prosthetics and Orthotics Association (POA), in Orlando, Florida on behalf of the 50Legs Charity Organization, founded by former pro-wrestler, Steve Chamberland.