In more than 10 hours, Lai managed to pull himself up more than 250 meters, in an effort to raise money for spinal cord patients.
“I was quite scared,” Lai said. “When I climb a mountain, I can hold stones or holes, but with glass I can only hang on the rope on which I hang.”
The event raised $ 670,639 ($ 5.2 million Hong Kong dollars) in donations.
The 37-year-old climber was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident ten years ago. Previously, he was crowned champion four times in Asia for rock climbing, and at one point he achieved eighth place worldwide.
After his accident, he started climbing again by attaching his wheelchair to a pulley system and using the force of his torso to pull himself up. Five years ago, he climbed the 495-meter-high Lion Rock Mountain, a local folk culture symbol of Hong Kong’s strength and grain.
“Besides just living, I wondered what was driving me? Then I started chasing it, knowing that there was a possibility I could climb mountains, even in a wheelchair,” Lai said. “In a way, I forgot that I’m a disabled person. I can still dream and can do what I want to do.”
On Saturday, Lai was unable to reach the top of the 300-meter (984-foot) Nina Tower due to security issues. But, he said, he hopes his climb can send a message.
“Some people do not understand the problems of the disabled, some people think we are always weak, we need help, we need help, we need people’s pity,” he said.
“But, I want to tell everyone, it does not have to be that way. If a disabled person can shine, they can create opportunities at the same time, hope, create light, they do not have to be seen as weak.”