Bypass surgery turned doctor from couch potato into mountain climber Tate Gunnerson, American Heart Association News March 4, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Because of the lack of oxygen at such lofty altitudes, Dr. Akil Taherbhai needed four hours to climb the last mile to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Savoring the sense of triumph as he finally reached the summit, the family physician who is known as Dr. Taher to his patients in Gadsden, Alabama, reflected on his journey. Not the 19,000-plus feet beneath him, but the pursuit of health and adventure he started only after undergoing heart bypass surgery.