Why I Climb

Today I opened up my inbox and found an inspiring email from one of my teammates, Amy Bartlett. I hope she doesn’t mind that I feel compelled to share part of it with everyone who reads my blog…

Amy is a kickass cancer survivor and she has done amazing things with LIVESTRONG—like running the NYC marathon. Now, she’s taking on Kilimanjaro with the Survivor Summit team. With less than a month to go until we leave, all of us have been scrambling to get our immunization shots, equipment, visa paperwork, and individual $10,000 fundraising requirements met. The minutiae of all these tedious little tasks can understandably cause many of us to forget why we climb. And I’ve definitely been guilty of letting the logistics of how overpower the reasons why.

But as Amy pointed out this morning, “I have been so focused on the physical part of preparation, gear acquisition, and travel details,” she said, “[that] I kind of lost sight of why I am really doing this. I had to take a step back from it all and look down at my yellow LIVESTRONG bracelet. I wear it all the time so I hardly notice it anymore. After my hike the other day, a man at the bottom of the hill said “what’s the yellow band for?” And I explained LAF and LIVESTRONG, that I am going to Kili with you all, and that this trip is a celebration of my 5 years remission from cancer…it felt good to remember and get some perspective of how lucky we are to be physically strong enough [and] healthy enough to do this.”

I’m thankful to Amy for giving me a good dose of reality. It’s not about the climbing and hiking gear I’ve bought; the plane tickets I’ve purchased; the shots I’ve gotten in my arms; the altitude and malaria medicine I’ll have to take; or even—and hell, this is going to sound a little crazy, given what my blog says on the right side of the screen—about climbing a 19,341 foot mountain. It’s about the inspiring stories from people and organizations like Amy Bartlett; the Bobet family; Texas 4000; Go4theGoal and the Stefanacci and Buffa families; Brendan Borek High Tides Memorial Fund; Penn State Dance MaraTHON’s THON families and kids, my aunt Edie; and countless others who have fought cancer. I climb for them all, and so many more.

Additionally, I climb to honor the memories of those I’ve lost, like my grandmother (breast cancer), college mentor (brain cancer), and uncle (lung, thyroid, and brain cancer).

I’m on the Survivor Summit team because I hate cancer, and I want to make the lives of fighters and survivors everywhere a little easier. The money that I’ve been raising goes toward cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG. For example: Navigation Services, which supports individuals when they are in the first stages of their diagnosis, and need help figuring out their new treatment, insurance, and healthcare options. Or Fertile Hope, which works with LIVESTRONG to fund and guide individuals fighting cancer in making personal choices when a course of treatment presents the risk of infertility. Or Cancer Transitions, which aids people affected by cancer by providing stress reduction, nutrition, and exercise classes. These are all just a small sampling of ways that LIVESTRONG genuinely helps individuals meet the challenges of cancer head-on. I feel exceedingly lucky to be a small part of such an incredible organization.

In this spirit, I intend to write more posts as part of my “Why I Climb” series to honor the stories near and far of courageous, incredible, and inspiring people who are fighting or have been affected by this disease. I’ll never forget that I’m fortunate to be able to participate in this cause. Because boots, backpacks, or booster shots will not motivate me to move up that mountain in less than four weeks time.

But stories of strength and bravery will.

Why I Climb

I climb for Blake Buffa, an amazing girl who was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, on On March 11, 2010. Blake underwent her treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. While in treatment, Blake designed a series of awesome t shirts with the slogan “B Positive,” which is also her blood type. A few weeks ago, I got two t shirts in the mail from the Buffa and Stefanacci families, and they were so cool. As someone who has taught art and worked with kids, I always love to see creativity. I was also lucky enough to get a photo of and an update on Blake—who is doing great! She’s celebrating one year cancer free. I’m happy to hear that Blake is able to get back to doing the things she loves (like soccer), and I can’t wait to climb for her all the way to the top of Africa.

Why I Climb

Today I climb for Richard Stefanacci and his family.

A few weeks ago, a Facebook friend posted a link about Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer, a campaign started by Go4TheGoal, in which sports teams and athletes don neon yellow shoelaces to support the fight against pediatric cancer. I fell in love with this simple-but-inspiring idea and the cause it supported. So I quickly purchased a pair with my sights set on climbing Kilimanjaro all laced up with a sunny little reminder of why I climb.

No more than 30 minutes after my purchase did Beth Stefanacci, Executive Director of Go4TheGoal, write an email to me that was filled with total happiness and excitement, as she wanted to know more about the climb. I wrote back to her with some information and my cell phone number, and I signed off as a supporter of her cause and a proud Jersey girl. Next thing I know, the phone rings and it displays my familiar home state area code: it’s Beth.

We spent the next few minutes discussing why we were both so excited for each others’ causes. I told her about my plans to wear the shoelaces with my hiking boots, my background fighting against pediatric cancer with Penn State Dance MaraTHON, and how I was climbing to support LIVESTRONG in memory and honor of the people I’ve known and loved that have fought against cancer.

And then Beth told me about Go4TheGoal, a non-profit she and her husband formed in 2006 when their oldest son Richard was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma at the age of 13. While it was difficult to hear this mother’s personal journey about losing her son in 2007, I realized that this family was really thoughtful and special. They used their own experiences with pediatric cancer to help others. Namely, their non-profit works to aid children suffering from childhood cancer that do not have the emotional, financial, and logistical support that the Stefanacci’s were fortunate enough to have for Richard. Go4TheGoal was born out of love, and it continues to help families that face a cancer diagnosis.

Today, Go4TheGoal has another initiative: “B Positive,” a campaign dedicated to supporting Richard’s cousin, Blake Buffa, who is currently doing great in her battle against a rare soft tissue cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. B Positive rallies behind Blake and keeps everyone updated on how she’s doing.

Cancer has touched the Stefanacci family twice now and it’s awesome that they stay so committed to helping others. And that doesn’t stop at helping families that are affected by pediatric cancer. For example, Beth even offered to help my fundraiser out, too. She kindly mentioned the idea of sending my letter out on her listserv, and then supplying me with the shoelaces and extra Go4TheGoal gear. She also donated, too, and I was really happy for the support to help me get closer to my $10,000 fundraising minimum requirement!

Today, when I got home from work, a package greeted me at the door from New Jersey, and it was filled with amazing gear that I am so excited to wear while I train (I’m also keeping my fingers crossed I can squeeze one of the t shirts that was sent to me into my bag for the climb, along with all my other equipment!).

Needless to say, I am very thankful to have crossed paths with this organization and this family. Because I think that as terrible as cancer is, I find that I when I get involved with the cause—whether it’s through the dance marathon, a 4,500 mile bike ride, or a climb up Africa’s tallest mountain—I end up meeting people who are just so incredibly selfless, generous, kind, and positive.

I recently watched a YouTube video where Beth and her son, Christopher, are talking about how they are guided by Richard’s spirit and his crazy energy. I hope I can be brave enough to harness that same type of energy when I climb 19,341 feet to the summit on July 2, 2012. When I get there, I also hope I’ll get a few moments to look down at my bright shoelaces, smile for Richard, and then remember why I climb: for him, for the Stefanacci family, and for all the families they’ll help with their organization, too.

Thanks so much, Go4TheGoal, for helping me raise money for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG! I’m very happy we can work together to make the lives of survivors, fighters, supporters, and families a little brighter!