Teen born without right leg will climb Kilimanjaro with father for charity

Alongside his father, Nicolai Calabria, 13, will climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

After departing on Aug. 26, he will traverse an uphill battle, ascending more than 40 miles in seven days.

At the base, he will begin in the wetness of a Tanzanian rainforest, only to face extreme wind chills of 40 below as he nears the summit.

He will battle altitude sickness, a condition brought on by decreasing levels of oxygen that can prove deadly on a mountainside.

And there's one last factor to add to the mix - Nicolai was born without his right leg.

Because he was born without a leg and hip, using a prosthetic limb would reduce his mobility and speed - two physical requirements sorely needed to play soccer.

Nicolai has been playing as a center forward in competitive soccer for years. He has faced some resistance from league officials regarding the use of his crutches when trying to join.

Besides that, Nicolai has only faced one physical setback. "I can't run as fast as everybody else," he said.

But, he's good. So good, he still amazes his father, Carl, who boasts about overhearing opponents on the other side in awe of his son's ability.

"They view him as competition, not as a kid with one leg," said Carl.

Although barely a teenager, Nicolai appears to have the confidence and demeanor of someone much older. This may stem from the undesirable experiences he's faced early on - the stares and personal questions about his missing leg.

"Sometimes people don't understand. It's kind of rude. I just keep answering their questions and try to get away," said Nicolai.

Inside the walls of his home, and on the soccer fields and tennis courts, however, the Peabody Middle School student said he is treated no differently than his siblings.

And like his older brother and younger sister, Nicolai will celebrate his "coming of age" with an adventure. He turned 13 on July 8.

Carl accompanied Nicolai's older brother, Kyle, to Belize. There, they explored Mayan caves and the skeletons of 800-years-old human sacrifices.

The same opportunity will be true for Nicolai's younger sister, Maya, and his mother.

For the father-son adventure to Mount Kilimanjaro, Nicolai will use specially designed crutches, with additional padding and shock absorbing, non-slip bases that were donated by the Walk Easy Company.

Despite the ongoing search efforts of his family, all the crutches Nicolai has used over the years leave permanent bruises on the underside of his forearms and add to the wear and tear to his elbows.

Regardless, Nicolai prefers the crutches to a prosthetic limb.

When explaining the difficulty Nicolai will face while ascending Kilimanjaro, Carl demonstrates with his son's crutches. Because of Nicolai's height and arm position, if he places his crutches at too great a height, he will not have the momentum, strength or stability to pull his body upwards.

"He just can't get the crutches ahead of himself," said Carl, demonstrating with a chair as the stand-in for a mountain rock.

Watching his father simulate how he would struggle, Nicolai said, "That's not how I would do it."

He gets up, hops to his father and takes the crutches.

Within the blink of an eye, he is standing on the chair.