Inside Prevention

Climb Against the Odds 2013 (KOBI-TV, NBC, 6/18/2013)

Breast Cancer Fund staff climber Martha Diaz, Director of Development Sheila Brown, Shasta-area climber Jen Bray, and the entire Climb Against the Odds team were featured in a story on the local NBC news station for Southern Oregon and Northern California.

The piece touches on the history of Climb Against the Odds and nicely captures the emotional investment our climbers make to take part in this life-changing event.

Check it out: http://www.kobi5.com/news/joes-journal/item/climb-against-the-odds-hiking-start.html

Waiting out a spring storm; delaying summit attempt

In the mountains, you always have to be prepared for "weather." Our team left the trailhead today very well prepared, and aren't we glad! By the time the first group reached base camp at around 2 p.m., light snow and sleet were falling. The climbers quickly set up their tents and promptly got in to stay warm and dry.

The snowfall is part of a small, quick-moving storm front passing through. Our amazing guides at Shasta Mountain Guides had anticipated the storm and, this morning, discussed with climbers the distinct possibility of delaying the summit attempt from Wednesday until the pre-dawn hours of Thursday. Within the last few hours, the guides made the definitive call: The summit attempt will happen on Thursday. This will not only allow the climbers to wait out the storm, it will also give them extra time to acclimate to the high altitude.

Reports from the mountain are that everyone is in good spirits and enjoying the beauty of base camp with a dusting of fresh spring snow.

We'll update you on Wednesday about how the team is doing at base camp. For those eager to hear about the team members' summit attempts, please tune in on Thursday morning!

And they're off!

The Climb Against the Odds 2013 team set out from the Bunny Flat trailhead (6,860 feet) at 10:30 this morning with our love and cheers to start them on the first leg of their journey. We saw the teams off in high spirits for their trip to Hidden Valley base camp (9,400 feet) where they will spend the night tonight. 

When John Muir first saw Mt. Shasta, he wrote: "all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since." We hope our climbers feel the same way! 

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Geared up and ready to climb

Our climbers are geared up and ready to ascend Mt. Shasta tomorrow morning.  

Any normal person getting ready to climb a 14,000-foot mountain would feel nervous and excited, and our climbers are feeling both emotions, yet they remain in high spirits. Today they were assigned to their rope teams and gathered for a final gear check to make sure their packs fit perfectly and they have everything they need for their journey up the mountain. 

We ended the day with a relaxed barbeque:

 

Some climbers, including Leslie Vanoni, with her daughter Bridget, shared the story of why she's climbing: 

 

 

For more Climb Against the Odds photos follow us on Flickr: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcf/

 

 

 

 

Climb Against the Odds kicks off with stories of love, loss and hope for the future

Sunday night marked the welcome ceremony for Climb Against the Odds, the Breast Cancer Fund's annual climb up Mt. Shasta. Speakers included Mt. Shasta Mayor Tom Moore, Forest Ranger Jonathan Dove, Breast Cancer Fund President & CEO Jeanne Rizzo and board member Ellen Kahn, who told a story about our organization's founder, Andrea Martin, who, weeks before her death, gave a symbolic talisman to Ellen as she prepared to summit Mt. Shasta as part of the 2003 Climb Against the Odds team:

Following the story of the talisman, the group joined hands, then one by one planted a seed and shared their reasons for climbing or supporting the Climb. This period of the program is lovingly referred to as "Cry Against the Odds." Many people spoke of lost loved ones, or their own experiences with breast cancer. To hear these stories of love, loss and heartbreak brought most of the people in the room to tears. One climber, Phi Le, presciently described the experience as being part of something much bigger than himself.

One heartfelt story that stood out involved Kelsey Kerr, who is climbing in honor of her mom, Robin Ruppel-Kerr, who died recently from breast cancer. Robin, along with Kelsey’s aunt, summited Mt. Rainier and Mt. Kilimanjaro with the Breast Cancer Fund. Her mom also attempted to summit Mt. Shasta, but didn't make it to the top. Kelsey plans to start where her mom left off. She will be carrying the talisman handed down from Breast Cancer Fund founder Andrea Martin on her journey up Mt. Shasta. 

 

Vanderbilt woman scaling new heights in cancer fundraiser (Pittsburgh Tribune, 6/15/2013)

Our climbers are gathering in Mt. Shasta as we speak, gearing up to climb the mountain in just two days. Excited? Check. Nervous? Check? Impressed with Shasta's beauty? Check. 

In the meantime, one of our climbers, Kelly Miller was featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune:

“My aunt was diagnosed with and survived breast cancer, and that has motivated me to apply for this 14,179-foot climb,” Miller said. “She is also still involved with the Breast Cancer Fund, so hopefully, we can save our loved one and keep this tradition, Climb Against the Odds, alive. The Breast Cancer Fund is a nonprofit that works to prevent breast cancer by eliminating our exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation linked to the disease. I have learned this can be done through personal, corporate and political action.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/fayette/3970562-74/cancer-miller-breast#ixzz2WQEsX3sa 

We will be posting regular updates on Climb Against the Odds in the coming days so stay tuned! 

 

The climb of her life (Harvard Gazette, 6/11/2013)

Climb Against the Odds team member Pam Thompson was featured in The Harvard Gazette in a fascinating article about Thompson's experience with breast cancer and her commitment to ensuring that breast cancer risks are reduced for future generations.

"'We’re not getting it from our mothers and grandmothers,' Thompson said. 'I’m the first one in my family. … I really would like answers. I’d like my daughter to know more.'"

Read more here.

Breast Cancer Fund celebrates 10 years scaling Mt. Shasta (Mt. Shasta Herald, 3/18/2013)

Jen Bray is a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and is the subject of a new article in the Mt. Shasta Herald. As this year’s “Community Climber” the money Jen raises will go toward Breast Cancer Services of Siskiyou County.

“I am inspired by survivors of cancer and the strength and passion they have for life and I vow to do more to eliminate this disease... for my children’s children,” Jen was quoted as saying in the article.  

The Breast Cancer Fund embraces mountain climbing as a metaphor for the critical work we are doing to prevent the environmental causes of this devastating disease.

This is the second year Jen is participating in Climb Agains the Odds, and she is on a roll. Check out her interview with KOBI-TV NBC5.

To learn more about Climb Against the Odds and this year's team, visit the event website.

Prevention Is Power: One survivor's story

This October—we call it Breast Cancer Prevention Month—the Breast Cancer Fund's Prevention Is Power campaign is educating thousands about what they can do to reduce breast cancer risk.

For many, including breast cancer survivor Leslie Vanoni, prevention is about protecting our daughters from this devastating disease. Here's Leslie's story.

By Leslie Vanoni, Guest Blogger

On Valentine’s Day 2011, then sober a year and a half, I got the news that the breast cancer I thought I had beat years earlier had metastasized to my bones and lungs. Stage-four cancer. I was terrified, knowing there’s no stage five. How was I going to tell my twin thirteen-year-old daughters? They had already been through so much. I was diagnosed the first time on their fourth birthday. They saw their healthy mother become very sick. They saw me cry as my hair fell out. They saw the fear in my eyes. I became angry and full of self-pity. I drank a lot.
 
This time, I set out to show my girls it is possible to get through difficult times with grace. While I was afraid most days, I stayed sober.
 
In January 2012, I was told that I was in complete remission. Just as I was recovering from a year of treatment, my employer, Autodesk, Inc., invited me to be the company’s sponsored climber in the Breast Cancer Fund’s Climb Against the Odds 2012 expedition of Mt. Shasta. I didn’t know a thing about the Breast Cancer Fund, and I was out of shape, but I said yes. If I had spent any time looking up on the Internet what it takes to climb the massive Mt. Shasta, I would have pulled the “cancer card” and politely declined. But on blind faith, I decided to do it, and it was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
 
Training became a form of meditation. Putting one foot in front of the other, I began to feel stronger and calmer. When I shared my story with my fellow trainees, they didn’t gasp. Instead, they greeted me before every training hike with hugs.
 
On the hikes I began to learn about the Breast Cancer Fund and why these people were so passionate about its mission to prevent the disease. My girls ask me all the time if they will get breast cancer. I wish I knew that the answer was no, but I don't. What I do know is that the Breast Cancer Fund is working every day to make sure fewer people ever have to get the terrible diagnosis. And I know I will continue to do what I can to support this work.
 
Driving alone up to Mt. Shasta to begin the expedition, I began to think I had completely lost my mind—that maybe I should turn around and go home. But I didn’t, and when I was greeted by the other climbers and the Breast Cancer Fund staff, I immediately knew everything would be OK. Doubt was replaced by faith, and fear was replaced by courage. I was not alone, and we were climbing to prevent breast cancer. I was becoming a woman I could be proud of and a mother my girls could be proud of. I was realizing that focusing on preventing breast cancer was helping me get my life back.

Fond farewells and photos

Since coming down from the mountain on Thursday, the 2012 Climb Against the Odds team has been basking in the glow of their shared adventure. The climbers have been recounting their incredible expedition on Mt. Shasta by sharing stories, photos and memories of a lifetime. The community forged by this journey is powerful and enduring, like the individuals who comprise it, so we part ways knowing that this is not goodbye, just happy trails until we are together again.

 

Check out stunning photography of this awe-inspiring team's journey. These photos document the 2012 expedition very well and more shots will be added to the collection in the coming weeks.

Has following the 2012 team's journey inspired you to climb and become a part of this amazing community? Sign up to be among the first to know when the 2013 Climb Against the Odds expedition begins accepting applications!