It was so nice to catch up with my tentmate and “partner in climb” from Survivor Summit, Mindy today at Whole Foods! Even though we both live in Austin, we hadn’t seen each other since October. This time around, we didn’t have to worry about setting up our sleeping bags and sleeping pads in the shadow of Uhuru—we just ate good food and enjoyed each other’s company. Here’s hoping I get to see her again soon.
Watch from one poignant moment to the next, as LIVESTRONG employee Renee Nicholas shares her journey with breast cancer. I’m so happy I had the incredible opportunity to meet Renee at a fundraising dinner for my Survivor Summit teammate, Mona Patel. Renee is a kind, good-hearted listener who lets her positive, infectious free spirit flow through her and into others with ease. Renee was supposed to be one of my teammates on our climb up Kilimanjaro, but she had to back out to focus on her health. Please join me in sending good vibes her way so she can participate in Survivor Summit in 2013!
Kim and I just climbed Kilimanjaro together a few weeks ago, and I’m so proud to call her my teammate and friend. All told, 17 of us worked hard to raise over $230,000 for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG and at the same time, climb a 19,341 foot mountain. As Kim communicates in her blog post above, it was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure—one that I’ll be very thankful for throughout the rest of my life. Read Kim’s blog and keep up with Survivor Summit, too, to find out when the 2013 expedition begins!
So glad to see my Survivor Summit teammate, Amy Bartlett, still making waves on the internet! LIVESTRONG, everyone.
(via scott-mcl)
This “Why I Climb” is dedicated to Mike King.
Mike is one of the founders of Survivor Summit, an organization which aims to lead cancer survivors and their supporters on life-altering journeys. The mission of this great organization is to inspire survivors, fighters, and communities to challenge the mental and physical boundaries associated with cancer.
Our climb of Kilimanjaro was the inaugural event for Survivor Summit, and the funds we raised benefited LIVESTRONG’s cancer programs and services. Mike and his brothers formulated the idea for the climb after Mike had summitted Kilimanjaro through a leadership program available at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
So, a funny story about Mike is that he was wholly unprepared for his first trip to Africa’s highest peak because he didn’t bring the right gear at all. His sleeping bag was soaked at one point, and as a result, he had a few uncomfortably cold nights on the way to summit. But he still made it to the 19,341 foot peak, which speaks to the strength of his character and his determination.
This time around, Mike was so prepared; he had all the correct equipment and was able to lead the rest of us during conference calls when we were unsure about what to expect. If we needed to call him to ask him a question, he’d get back to us immediately. Additionally, he helped prepare all of our logistics and rescue insurance, and made sure that everything was attended to before we landed in Tanzania.
But I think being a leader is more than making sure that the odds-and-ends are all secured. Instead, I believe that a good leader is someone who shows genuine care and concern for others, and wants to see everyone succeed, even if it means taking a little longer than expected. Mike was an exceptional leader in this respect, as he often checked in on everyone during the climb, and would slow his pace down to reflect that of his teammates.
One of the things I will always fondly remember about Mike happened on Summit Day. Our plan was to break up into three groups, with:
Team Mindy (Mindy, Lachlan, Daniel, and Chad, with Earth Treks’ Nelson Laur leading), leaving first for Uhuru peak at 10:30 p.m.
Team K2 (Kim, Katie, Scott S., Scott A., Brian, Amy, and Danny, with Earth Treks’ Chris Warner leading) departing for summit at 11:30 p.m.
And Team Simba (Mike, Mona, Caroline, Missy, Chasse, and I) taking off after midnight.
The group I was with ended up passing the other groups within the first three hours or so of the climb (probably because we were motivated to climb quickly since it was so cold!). We made it to Stella Point by 6:30 a.m., and walked to the summit by 7:00 a.m. to watch the sun rise. Temperatures were -35 degree Fahrenheit. We took photos and held our honor flag high. We were instructed to make it down to Barafu camp after about 30 minutes. Missy and Caroline were beginning to develop headaches, so they took off quickly for the camp below. It looked like the rest of us would follow suit.
As I got ready to head for Barafu with Mona and Chasse, I planted my heels into the scree to ski down with my trekking poles. I then turned to see Mike looking elated to see the other group at Stella Point. He said that he was physically fine and that he wanted to hand off our honor flag to Team K2 and see how they were doing. Basically, he was going to stick around on the top of the mountain and summit twice that morning.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment. I descended 4,000 feet to Barafu, all the while remembering the incredible leadership Mike had just displayed. I think he would have stayed for the rest of the day to see Team Mindy summit, too, if it had been physically possible. Mike was amazing that morning, as he made sure that our honor flag and our team all made it intact. Our entire team made it to 19,341 feet. The very first Survivor Summit event went off perfectly thanks to Mike.
“Leader.” That word describes Mike King perfectly, and it’s why I climb for him today, tomorrow, and always.
After a short hiatus, I’m back to posting on my blog and dedicating my climb to my incredible Survivor Summit teammates. This “Why I Climb” goes out to Scott Schofield.
As you may have read in my blog earlier, I was involved in a non-profit organization called Texas 4000 for Cancer, in which I rode a bicycle 4,500 miles from Texas to Alaska to spread hope, knowledge, and charity in the fight against cancer.
Well, during the climb of Kilimanjaro with Survivor Summit, Scott and I got a chance to bond over our love of bicycles. We would talk about frame sizes, various cycling components, and what the process of handcrafting a bicycle might entail.
Scott knows a lot about riding. And while I might have endurance on my side from Texas 4000, I got the impression that Scott is pretty darn fast on the bike. In fact, he was quick on the climb, too; I think if he wanted, he could have left a lot of us in the dust.
Except, that’s not Scott’s personality.
No, Scott is an exceptionally faithful and considerate guy, and he stuck by his wife Katie’s side throughout the trip. He had a persistent smile on his face from the base to the summit, and always looked like he was having a good time during our trek. I felt very fortunate to have such a great teammate around, who spread his positive energy amongst the rest of us as we gathered for breakfast and dinner every day in the food tent.
From watching Scott, I learned how infectious a good attitude can be amongst a group. So today, I climb for him.
My Survivor Summit teammate, Mona Patel, captured some incredible photos from our safari in the Ngorongoro Crater after our Kilimanjaro climb!
This “Why I Climb” is dedicated to my Survivor Summit teammate, Brian King.
I blogged about the King family in an earlier post, before I had the opportunity to meet our founder Mike and his brother, Brian. When we all arrived in Tanzania, Mike was there, but Brian wasn’t; he had missed his flight! Mike told us Brian would be joining us the next day, and luckily, both he and his bags showed up 24 hours later at the KIA lodge.
Losing that extra day, though, meant that Brian had only a few hours to get everything packed and ready to go for the climb, and a little bit to sleep off the jet lag. No matter. Brian jumped in like a champ and hiked through everything with the rest of us. I never heard him complain once, and he was such a good sport about any curveballs thrown his way.
Even better, after our climb and during the safari, Brian was able to kick back and engage with everyone in such a relaxed, fun way. I think that’s what I enjoyed the most about Brian: he just rolled with the changes. I learned that things don’t always go according to plan. And yet, it doesn’t have to get in the way of exciting, productive, and meaningful experiences. Brian didn’t let any crazy details affect the importance of his climb of Kilimanjaro for his dad, Paul, who is currently in treatment for prostate cancer.
That’s pretty amazing to me, so today, I climb for Brian.
My next “Why I Climb” is dedicated to my Survivor Summit teammate, Caroline Scemama.
In all aspects, Caroline is a beautiful spirit. She regularly practices yoga, and is such a peaceful, warm, and wonderful presence to be near. During the entire trip, she took time to find her words, as well as meaning in each moment. As a result, she had a way of being very eloquent and introspective.
So it comes as no surprise to me that she would make this comment in regards to reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro: “We made it…and this ended up being such a small moment compared to the rest of the journey…proof that we need a destination but it’s the journey [that] matters…”
Yes. Seriously, it’s the journey that matters, and teaches us things that we can only dream of realizing. Caroline was a great teammate, and taught me that the quieter moments in life can be very nurturing and soothing to the soul.
She reminded me to be mindful during this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and for that, I am forever grateful. Thank you, Caroline. Today, I climb for you.
Mona Patel, this “Why I Climb” is for you!
Mona is one of my Survivor Summit teammates and a fellow Yankee-turned-Austinite. She originally hails from Boston, and has traveled pretty extensively before ending up in our hipster Texas town. She works at LIVESTRONG, and her reasons for doing the climb are very personal, too: she lost her brother to cancer a number of years ago.
Mona is always doing her part to help in the fight against cancer, making her an incredible teammate and advocate for the cause. Additionally, we all relied on her strength and familiarity with mountains on this trip; she’s summitted Kilimanjaro before, as well as Denali, and a slew of mountains in Latin America.
But one the best things about Mona is that she’s not much of a self-promoter. She could go on an on about all the amazing stuff she’s done—from stand up paddle boarding in Dam That Cancer, to running marathons. Instead, she has a quiet sense of confidence, and is always happy to help others. She stuck by Mindy’s side for hours on end, gave me one hell of a pep talk before heading up the Barranco Wall, and took so many beautiful pictures of our climb so that we would all be able to remember it for many years to come.
One of the words I think of when I think of Mona is “peaceful.” She taught me the value in having a calm, level-headed, stable, and dependable presence when tackling a challenge. I’m thankful for this lesson, and so excited to know a new face in Austin as a result of Survivor Summit. Today, Mona, I climb for you.
Lisa's reflections on summitting Kilimanjaro and raising over $10,000 for cancer programs and services at LIVESTRONG.
