Transcript for ABC News’ Amy Robach opens up about her journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro
And the woman who is doing is because she’s our inspiration, our Amy tackling one of the biggest challenges in the world, mt. Kilimanjaro and I know it was five years since your breast cancer diagnosis and that was the reason why. It was five years ago today, robin, actually that I was — Nyu getting the worst news of my life and went through something, of course, that thousands of women unfortunately go through across this country every year. But many of us want to confront our fear in the face of a health crisis you have so much fear and the possibility of recurrence always looms large for many survivors which is why I chose to celebrate my survival and I decided to embark on a different kind of journey and face fear of a different kind. Take a look. Our good friend Amy robach is here. She has something important to share. Reporter: It was October 2013 when my world collapsed and my security shattered. Words I never expected to hear. I would told that I have breast cancer. Whoo. ?????? Reporter: Now, five years later I’ve everything aed family and friends to help celebrate my survival with something big. 19,341 feet big. Africa’s tallest peak mt. Kilimanjaro. It just made sense to me because I had another mountain that hi to climb five years ago. I had to battle breast cancer, go through a year of hell as so many women have had and live with a lifetime of fear. Fear of recurrence. Fear of it coming back and instead of living in fear I decide to live defying fear. We’ve got ten, who here is making it to the top? We are! Our bags are all being weighed. They’re carrying all of our supplies up the mountain so they’re the real heroes of this hike. Half of the 35,000 people who attempt to summit kilimanjaro each year don’t make it to the top. The number one reason, altitude sickness. Something many of us will face on our five-day trek. Even though some in our group seemed to be ready for anything. Do you have a plan of attack? Pretty bomb playlist. ?????? ??? it’s time for Africa ??? Five climate Zones on kilimanjaro. We leave civilization below. The cultivation zone and head straight into the African rain forest. We’re at 9,000 feet. Day one. Next up we leave the canopy and head into the sunny open Heather morelands. It’s our first chance to get a chance of kilimanjaro’s snowy peak. It is. Is that it? That’s it right there. Is that kilimanjaro? That’s kilimanjaro. That’s it. 12,000 and our second campsite. As we spend the next day adjusting, the first sign of altitude sickness hit our group. My 12-year-old annalise is first up. Anna, what happened last night? I threw up. Even though we don’t feel good we’re still hiking, right? Slow and steady. Reporter: The air getting thinner as the trail gets steeper. It feels like we should be higher, right? We could turn back. No thanks. The pep in our step is gone. Reporter: After hiking for four days we get ready to climb the final stretch while it’s pitch black. Our grueling hike in freezing temperatures in total darkness is disorienting. How do you feel, Amy? I’m okay. I’m okay. Taking it really slow. Trying to just look down. Okay. I don’t want to look up. Reporter: Marching from midnight to dawn we make it near the top. Not feeling good. You can do it. Just catch your breath. Reporter: But we still had to reach ahuru peak. 15% less oxygen up here and this last hour has been really hard. Reporter: After a few needed breaks. I’m struggling. The struggle is real. Reporter: Finally. I can see the peak. Worth getting emotional. Because I know that you’ve all worked really hard and I think anything worth doing requires a little bit of courage. It’s about who you’re with. You did it. Reporter: And the journey up and the lessons you learn along the way. Facing fear of all kinds and part of facing fear is climbing virtual mountains and real mountains. Wow. I’m just so proud of my family who came with me. My 65-year-old dad all the way down to my 12-year-old daughter and when I called they all said yes. So that was everything to me. Now I’m silly crying. I’m crying because I think that health is so precious and to see how hard we felt that was and imagine why I’m crying, I can’t imagine how hard it’s been and I don’t think about it every day because it’s not me. Thank you and you guys are also my family and have been
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