Broken hipbones, damaged teeth and various scars mark the 26-year-old’s body, all souvenirs from her mountaineering conquests.

In 2013 at age 23, she became known as the youngest woman in the country to have successfully scaled Mount Everest.

The Negeri Sembilan-born Siti Hanisah has also faced the threat of death on numerous occasions while fulfilling her quests. However, it did little to damper her determination to become the first Malaysian woman to conquer the Seven Summits, the seven highest mountains on earth, scattered across seven continents.

“I am not looking for fame but to prove Malaysia is capable of coming out with female climbers who can conquer the world’s highest mountain,” she said to Bernama.

Not giving up

Many may recall her determination in continuing to climb Mount Everest despite several health setbacks.

Some were even surprised by her decision to try scaling the mountain a second time after being crippled with acute mountain sickness (AMS) the first time around.

The tenacious woman did not want to waste the opportunity given as she saw it as entrusted upon her to make her country proud.

That was why she chose to camp out for 60 hours at Camp 4 before continuing her mission again, even though her six friends had already reached the peak and made their way back to the Everest Base Camp.

Her decision was made despite knowing that above Camp 4 was what is notoriously known as the death zone, due to its dangerously low oxygen level.

Due to her tenacity and determination, she managed another 12 hours of climbing to the reach the peak of the 8,848-metre tall mountain.

“There are no words to aptly describe what I felt then. I was exhausted, yet exhilarated and extremely proud to have been able to fly the Jalur Gemilang at the peak,” she said.

Injured again

Some might have thought that the injuries and illness sustained during the journey up Everest would make her think twice about continuing her mission to conquer the Seven Summits.

However, her fervour and love for the country propelled her on. She next tried to conquer Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, highest mountain in South America.

Strong winds of 80kmph, however, had caused her to fall during her ascent and resulted in injuries.

“At the time, I was only 400m away from the peak (of the 6,962-metre-tall mountain). I sustained a broken hipbone due to the fall and had to be flown to the hospital via helicopter,” she said.

She has today recovered from the injury but the expedition had to be put on hold as she was now pregnant with her first child.

“I find that there are many ways to show our patriotic spirit. For me, it is making Malaysia known to the world through my climbing achievements.

“It certainly was not easy. I have had to sacrifice a lot including my time and energy. I have been exposed to snowstorms, extreme cold and hunger due to my food supply being stolen.

“There are also those who doubt our ability to conquer the world’s tallest mountains due to our slight build. However, we proved them wrong and we did it all for the country,” said the former Royal Malaysian Navy personnel.

Siti Hanisah, the fifth of seven children of Felda Jelai 1 settlers in Gemas, said she also wanted to show that those from Felda schemes could make it big out there.

She is currently part of a mission called Srikandi 7 Benua Kelab Eksplorasi Tujuh Benua Malaysia (KE7B) and has conquered four highest peaks in four continents so far, namely Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Mount Kosciuszko (Australia) and Mount Everest.

The three summits left that she needs to scale in order to complete the expedition are Mount Aconcagua in Argentina (which she failed due to her fall), Mount McKinley (North America) and Mount Vinson Massif (Antartica).

Different ways

It cannot be denied that different generations manifest their patriotism in different ways. The show of patriotism is no longer confined to the flying of flags or participation in Merdeka parades.

Today’s generation is often accused of being unpatriotic but the truth is, many among them are showing their love for the country in ways that are perhaps unfamiliar to the older generation.

Some portray it through their artistic endeavours while others through success in their professions.

The latter is how Moto3 racer, Muhamad Adam Muhd Norrodin shows his loves for his country.

The 18-year-old motorcycle racer is unrelenting in his pursuit to become the world’s motorcycle-racing champion.

Born in Kampung Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, the young lad gained international recognition when he doggedly pushed his bike to the finish line after crashing during the Motorcycle Grand Prix in Argentina, in April.

He had been in a close battle for the second position with Jorge Navarro of Spain when he crashed out on the final lap but bravely ran over to his bike and pushed it across the line for 11th spot.

Strong willed

His display of determination and courage moved many.

“At the time I was in the second position, behind Khairul Idham Pawi. I was so shocked and frustrated when I fell. I could hardly believe it because I was a mere 20m away from the finish line.

“But I was not about to give up. After all, I started in the 17th box and had worked hard to get to the front. So I dismissed the numbness in my legs and the pain everywhere else and focused on finishing the race. I finished 11th,” he recalled.

He sustained a fractured left foot from the incident but was undaunted by the experience. Muhd Adam is now more determined than ever to improve his performance and show to the world what Malaysians are made of.

Volunteerism

Meanwhile, there are those like Muazammil Mamat who prefer to use volunteerism as a way to show their patriotic spirit.

The 31-year-old, now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said his experience in providing aid for the country has taught him to be more grateful for the many things enjoyed in Malaysia.

“It started off quite unintentionally for me. I was on a six-month solo adventure by road from Malaysia to England when I got trapped in Nepal because an earthquake had struck the country.

“Nepal was one of the destinations of my solo adventure. Coincidentally, my brother was a volunteer doctor with Mercy Malaysia and was there to disburse aid.

“It was then that I decided to become a volunteer under Mercy Malaysia to help with the logistics in Nepal,” he told Bernama when contacted via e-mail.

Muazammil had been in Bosnia since last Ramadan and provided travel packages to Bosnia via his company, Jejak Balkan. He is currently assisting a group of Malaysian students in UK who had raised funds to help the needy in Bosnia.

“I have also helped the Malaysian Embassy in Bosnia to assist with a “gotong-royong” for a Malaysian and Bosnian couple. The latter was a refugee who was placed in Sarawak during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

“The couple have been in Bosnia for the past 20 years and were unable to return to Malaysia as they did not have the means. The gotong-royong is meant to help provide a piece of Malaysia for the Malaysians and to celebrate Merdeka Day,” he said.