Francys Arsentiev was born on August 24, 1958, in the United States. She grew up loving the outdoors and was always fascinated by mountains. As an adult, she became an experienced climber, taking on challenging peaks all over the world. But her greatest dream was to climb Mount Everest, the ultimate test of strength and determination.

Francys was no ordinary climber. She achieved something extraordinary by becoming the first American woman to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1998. This means she climbed the mountain using only the air around her, which is extremely rare and difficult. Her accomplishment made headlines around the world, and she was celebrated as a hero