O’Brien Family Press Release

May 2, 2005 

Early this morning, Dr. David D. O’Brien Jr. was contacted by the U.S. State Department in Kathmandu, Nepal, which confirmed that his son, Michael Corey O’Brien of Seattle, Washington, had died on Mt. Everest on May 1, 2005. Michael and his brother Christopher O’Brien, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, were climbing Everest together in an attempt to become the first U.S. brothers to summit Everest together and to raise awareness and funding for the Hereditary Disease Foundation, an organization that funds research into Huntington’s Disease, the disease that killed their mother and one of their sisters.

Michael died yesterday on the mountain when he fell into a crevasse at a location on Everest known as the “Ice Falls”, the most treacherous part of the climb. He had been descending between Camp 2 and Camp 1 during an acclimatization hike when the accident occurred. The exact cause of Michael’s death is unknown at this time.

Later in the morning, Dr. O’Brien received a phone call from Christopher who said that he had safely reached Base Camp. Christopher said that a team of Sherpas, many who had volunteered from other expeditions, is currently transporting Michael’s body down to Base Camp. From there, they will trek to a helicopter-landing pad, where they will meet a helicopter that will transport Christopher and Michael to Kathmandu. This trek is estimated to take two to three days. In Kathmandu, representatives from the American Embassy will meet Christopher and help make arrangements to transport them back to the United States.

In their attempt to summit Everest, Michael and Christopher were also attempting to raise at least $100,000 for the Hereditary Disease Foundation. Contributions can be sent to The Hereditary Disease Foundation, 1303 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (phone 310-450-9913) in the name of the HDF Everest Expedition or online at www.hdfoundation.org.

Further information regarding Michael, Christopher and their efforts can obtained from the O’Brien family at 315-343-2484. http://www.obrienseverest.com