Aarav Parmar, a 13-year-old, completed an eight-day trek to Everest Base Camp in March, raising over $7,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation, according to a May 5 announcement. Accompanied by his parents Rishi and Sirin, Aarav carried the foundation’s flag throughout the journey that reached an elevation of 18,192 feet.
The effort highlights both personal determination and charitable giving. Aarav said he was inspired after reading a book about climbing Mount Everest and wanted to help people with autism through his favorite football team’s foundation. “I have a lot of family and friends who have autism, and I wanted to see if I could help them in any way,” Aarav said. “I read about it and I saw good foundations to help people with autism, and the Eagles Autism Foundation came up. Since the Eagles are my favorite football team, I really wanted to do it.”
Aarav’s hiking experience began at age five with a climb at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. At eleven years old he summited Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet), where his father noted Aarav never complained during difficult moments on that trip or this latest one.
The family’s trek started on March 12 from Nepal—Sirin’s home country—and faced harsh conditions including freezing temperatures for several days near Base Camp. Internet access was limited along their route but each time they connected there were supportive messages from the Eagles Autism Foundation team waiting for them. “He will read these emails whenever we get internet, and that pushed him this time around because it was really, really hard,” Rishi said. “Much harder than Kilimanjaro…I have people who have given money for this cause…and I have to make sure that I go and have this flag with me when I reach the Base Camp.” The family described every day as challenging: “Every day was just a new struggle that we’d find out,” Aarav said.
The Philadelphia Eagles exert broad cultural influence by drawing fans from Philadelphia and across the nation through games, media coverage, merchandise sales as well as fan engagement offerings such as news updates and ticketing services; they operate as a professional American football team based in Philadelphia since entering the National Football League in 1933 according to their official website.
After reaching base camp successfully together—their most difficult hike yet—the Parmars celebrated with photos hoisting their flag before returning home where Aarav enjoyed his first meal off-mountain: chicken chili. As Sirin put it: “He just wiped out everything on the plate.” The experience ended not only with memories but also meaningful support for autism causes.
