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Living life to the fullest: 54-year-old Ohio woman conquers Mount Kilimanjaro

“There’s an old expression: 'You only live once.' It should be: 'You only die once. You live every day.'”

ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio — Dr. Irene Fiala is all about living. 

The Edinboro professor is an adventurer, world traveler, researcher, professor, mom to her dogs and an animal advocate.

“There’s an old expression: 'You only live once.' It should be: 'You only die once. You live every day.'”

Last year she climbed to the top of one of the seven summits by tackling Mount Kilimanjaro.

“It comes down to the uncontrollable. You may not be successful, but you can’t control everything.”  

So how does she do it? By taking each day and making the best of it for herself and for others.

“Old age is a privilege denied many so what did you do during the course of your life?”

That’s why she lives her life to the fullest, traveling every chance she gets and bringing back experiences to her students.

“I try to create an environment of enthusiasm by sharing that you can do this, too. This is possible."

She says it’s the small victory’s that inspire us all to achieve more and push through.

“The way that I recognize that privilege is to do as much as I can!”

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