Eli Reimer First Teen With Down Syndrome to Climb Mt. Everest

Elisha "Eli" Reimer is the first teen with Down syndrome to ever climb Mount Everest, an act he did in order to raise more than $85,000 for a foundation that carries his name.

Along with his father Justin Reimer, Eli ascended a total of 17,000 feet in 70 miles to the mountain's first base camp in 10 days.

"It was humbling, it was inspiring, it was just an amazing moment," Justin told HLN. "He was actually leading us on the trail and we were the ones feeling our own sense of disability."

Besides raising money, the trek was based in the desire to exhibit the Eli's abilities in spite of his condition.

"Eli's life and the lives of those with disability have infinite worth and they can attempt great things," Justin said.

The Elisha Foundation was founded in 2005 by Eli's parents, Justin and Tamara Reimer, and works to provide access to resource professionals, educational specialists and other resources for families with children living with Down syndrome.

"We recognize the need to encourage families who are caring for these special people," the website states.

According to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), one in almost every 700 babies in the U.S. is born with Down syndrome, making it the most common genetic condition. The odds of giving birth do a child with Down syndrome increase with the age of the mother.

Currently, there are over 400,000 Americans living with the condition.

Specifically, Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21, which in turn alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with the condition.

Through the years, the life expectancy for those with Down syndrome has increase from just 25 in 1983 to 60 today, despite the fact that the condition is often connected with increased health risks, including congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer's disease, childhood leukemia and thyroid conditions. This improvement, according to the NDSS, is a result of better treatment for each of these ailments.