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Sebastien Sasseville is currently attempting to become the first Canadian living with Type 1 diabetes to summit Mount Everest. In an effort to prove that diabetes is not a limitation, the young climber hopes that the historical event will inspire every Canadian living with the disease. He has set a fundraising goal of $100,000 for diabetes research.

You can donate to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in support of Sebastien's quest, or read more about it here. Updates from Sebastien will be posted below.

Sebastien is back in Gorakshep (5164m) for rest. The expedition is going very well so far, and he is feeling great. They have just returned from a very successful trip to Camp 2 (6500m), where they spent a few days for acclimatization.

Sebastien has had no problems with his diabetes so far, and the weather has been spectacular. The whole team is doing well, and they are planning to get to Camp 3 (7470m) during the next seven to ten days. Communication is still restricted, so we will not be hearing from him for another week.

Excellent news from the mountain. After sitting at Base Camp for a week waiting for the ice fall to open, we have made two very successful trips in there on April 14th and 16th. We then have been able to reach Camp 1 (6100m) on April 18th and spent 2 nights there for acclimatation.

Altitude is taking its toll on us so we now have descended back to Dingboche (4400m) for a few day to get strong again. We should be able to reach Camp 2 within the next week. My health is pretty strong at the moment but we are living in a constant discomfort. The morale is very good. Home and the loved ones are definitely missed!

Diabetes-wise, I am doing quite good. It has been very challenging to balance carb's, insulin, etc. with altitude but so far everything has worked pretty well.

Sebastien would also like to thank everyone who has sent him an email. He has received many from people with diabetes across the country, and he will be answering every one when he returns

The team arrived at Base Camp two days ago in heavy snow and cold weather. Temperatures reach -15*C at night, and about 5*C during the day. The trek in went pretty well, though it was by no means easy with the increasing altitude.

Other teams are still arriving at the camp, and the community there is shaping up. Sebastien will be helping others to build the helicopter pad, and soon his team will begin exploring the ice while testing out their gear.

The Khumbu Icefall is not yet open, though it should be ready by next Monday. Once they are able, the team will start moving equipment up to higher camps.

Sebastien's cold is now completely gone and he is looking forward to going up

Sebastien has now reached Dingboche, which is at 4250 metres. His cold is much better, and they will be there for about there days to acclimatize. Base camp is about five to six days away.

Sebastien has made it to Namche Bazaar at 3400m. He was blessed with his first views of Everest this morning. It is an acclimatisation day today, but they will be trekking again tomorrow. He has been quite sick with a bad cold for a few days, which did not make the hike any easier. He felt a lot better this morning, but because he will not be able to get better at higher altitude, he will have to stay in Namche until he gets his health back. There is still a lot of uncertainty about the regulations on the mountain and potential closures, the latest info can be found on everestnews.com.

There are still a lot of unknowns around the climb due to the political situation. Permits have now been officially issued, which is excellent news, though closures on the mountain are still unclear and communications from the mountain may still be banned. Sounds like everyday will be a surprise. They will be flying to Lukla at 6:30 in the morning tomorrow. From there they will start a 10 day walk that will take them to base camp at 5300 metres.

Sebastien has made it to Kathmandu with what he calls his smoothest arrival and transfer to the city ever. He is hoping that this may be a sign of a successful climb. It is his fourth time in Kathmandu, a city he still finds fascinating each time.

The political situation there will define a lot of the climb, and he should know more over the next few days. There are still no guarantees that they are going to be able to climb as negotiations between tour operators and government officials are still going on. Sebastien did meet up with the rest of the team this morning, and they are keeping their fingers crossed. The whole team looks to be in great shape and the mood is quite jovial. They are expecting to stay in the city for gear review and strategy planning for the next three days.

The rumour says that communication equipment may not be allowed on the mountain this year -- except for emergencies. This means the web updates by satellite phone may not be possible during the expedition. We will have to wait to find out more; any news that is available will be posted on this website.

Sebastien will be leaving Canada and heading to Nepal on March 22.