Climb to Conquer Cancer

Last Friday was the American Cancer Society's Climb to Conquer Cancer. It was a great event with a 5k climb up the Orchard Greenbelt extension. I was asked to speak to the climbers before the official start. I decided to focus on how climbing the mountain of cancer treatment compares to climbing Mt. Everest. You need to do lots of research and prepare yourself before taking those first steps. You have to have a strong and supportive base camp, you have to have safety gear and be tied to at least one other person in case you slip. It is going to be a long trip up the mountain with some days more productive than others, there will be many challenges along the way that will require to you to dig deep and find a strength you never knew you had. Once you reach the top and look back on how far you have come you know you will never be the same again. You will forever have a different perspective on the world and most likely you will find yourself returning to base camp to help someone else on their journey climbing the mountain. There are many other comparsions that can be made between the two challenges.