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Gheorghe Dijmărescu
Gheorghe Dijmărescu (commonly known as George Dijmarescu, born 1962 – September 2020)[1] was a Romanian-American known for escaping from the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu by swimming across the Danube River. He was also on mountaineering expeditions, and summited Mount Everest multiple times in the early 2000s.[1] He was married to Lhakpa Sherpa until their separation due to Dijmărescu's abusive behavior.[2] BiographyDijmărescu has been noted for reaching the summit of Mount Everest nine times. This record was eventually overtaken by the American Dave Hahn in 2008.[3][4][5][6][7][8] In 2004, Dijmărescu and fellow climber David Watson organized the rescue of a Mexican climber who had trouble descending,[1] which Watson later noted as an example of what should have been done for David Sharp, who died high on Everest in 2006.[9] Dijmărescu married Lhakpa Sherpa in 2002, the first Nepali woman to summit Mount Everest and survive, who also has the record (as of 2022) for the most summits of Mount Everest by a woman at 10.[1] They met in Kathmandu in the year 2000.[10] Michael Kodas' book High Crimes details allegations of physical violence and aggressive behavior by Dijmărescu, about a 2004 Connecticut expedition to Mount Everest that Dijmărescu organized.[1][11] In his book, Kodas details Dijmărescu as an angry, short-tempered, and violent man with dictatorial tendencies. Kodas recounts how he witnessed Dijmărescu beat his wife Lhakpa Sherpa causing her to lose consciousness in Everest's Tibetan base camp, and how Dijmărescu threatened him to the point that he feared Dijmărescu would break into their tents at night and assault them. After returning to Connecticut, Kodas installed a security system at his home because he considered his family's safety threatened due to Dijmărescu's continued threats. Dijmarescu's marriage with Lhakpa Sherpa came apart in 2012 after a violent episode. Dijmarescu beat Lhakpa Sherpa, requiring his wife to seek medical attention. Lhakpa Sherpa was taken to an emergency room. Upon release, Lhakpa Sherpa and her two daughters stayed at a local shelter for eight months.[2] Danube escapeDijmărescu survived a swim across the Danube to leave his native Romania. The swim took over an hour and was timed to avoid guards who had been known to kill those who tried to swim across.[12] He managed to make his way through Yugoslavia and escape to Italy.[12] From there he was granted political asylum in the United States, and eventually settled in New England.[12] DeathFrom 2008, Dijmărescu battled with some health issues. He died of cancer in September 2020 at the age of 58 in USA.[13] Dijmărescu's Mount Everest summit recordDijmărescu summited Mount Everest:
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