The Big Climb is a fundraiser for blood cancers that is held annually in Seattle at the tallest building in Seattle: The Columbia Tower. There are 69 floors of stairs, 1311 steps, and 788 feet of vertical elevation. People who sign up not only get to stump for cash to help fund research, but we also earn the privilege of climbing those 69 stories to the top to see my gorgeous city: Seattle. Fun? Yep. Hard? Yep. But still fun? Oh yes! (And not nearly as hard as you would think! It took me a mere 24 minutes!)
I joined Team Trigger. A student of mine from last year climbed and I thought it would be fun to join his team and climb along. I loved the Base to Space climb. The challenge was marvelous to conquer, but the people I carried on my way up made the experience profound and meaningful unlike other events. I knew the people who were fighting this. as fundraising continued, this season, things keep happening to remind me how important it is to be proactive. I developed a greater understanding of my dad’s leukemia and watched him get more and more tired with each illness. My old classmate from high school, Dawnelle, who was in remission found out that cancer wants round two with her. It will lose. Then I found out that the team I joined was built around my student’s mother who has battled lymphoma twice in her twin boys’ short lives. If I’m lucky enough to avoid the cancer then I need to be proactive in helping others out by raising money and carrying their spirits up to the top of the tower with me in hopes that someday someone might do the same for me if I’m ever in that predicament.
Lastly, look at my friend Dawnelle and what a stud she is. With nine people she raised almost 80,000. Can you believe that? She’s in the fight against cancer in her very own body right now and did that, earned a whole floor and inspired every single person who climbed that tower with her mural. To everyone, keep on fighting. For yourself or others, it doesn’t matter. We are all in this together.