A number of charitable organizations offer programs where you can train and compete for a cause.
Do your non-cycling friends think you’re overly ambitious (or insane) when you tell them you’re going to ride 100 miles in a day?
When we first came up with the idea for the HERA
Foundation,” says founder, Sean Patrick, “my climbing partner at the time said,
‘the day you get climbers to come to an event about ovaries is the day pigs
will fly.’” Today, the HERA Foundation has not only gotten climbers involved,
but has raised more than $800,000 for ovarian cancer research at events across
the country and in Mexico.
In June, HERA is getting ready for the second annual Colorado Climb4Life event that takes place in Boulder. “Last year we were happy with the overwhelmingly positive response,” says Patrick. “This year we want to keep that momentum going.”
The Climb4Life events are geared towards both those who are already involved in the sport, and those that have always wanted to try it. Patrick feels climbers and non-climbers alike can use their strength in a positive way that makes a difference by saving women’s lives.
“Raising awareness and getting more funding for ovarian cancer research sometimes feels similar to fighting gravity on the rock,” says Patrick. But since the beginning, HERA has been able to donate over 85 percent of the funds raised.
Participants get family and friends to donate by setting up a Web page and sending out emails. “Even if people don’t donate,” says Patrick, “at least it’s spreading awareness about the event and important facts about ovarian cancer.”
For those who do donate, the results are tangible. Researchers come to events to talk about their current projects, and participants get to see where exactly the money they raise is going and how it is making a difference. “We fund high-risk, high-reward research projects,” say scientific committee chair, Dr. Jill Slansky, “and act as an incubator for new scientific talent and ideas.”
“The whole concept of raising awareness is going to save lives,” says Eden Ellman, an ovarian cancer survivor from Boulder. She stresses that there are recognizable signs and symptoms. About the events, Ellman notes, “Some people say, ‘I’m not going to that event because it’s just for women or it’s just for those with cancer,’ [but] once you get involved with the cause, it’s a good way to connect you to the human condition. And raising money is surprisingly easy.”
While in the beginning, there were naysayers about climbers’ willingness to participate, the event’s success has long surpassed what Patrick and her skeptical climbing partner had originally imagined.
“The skills that I learned in climbing helped me deal with my own cancer diagnosis,” says Patrick. “No other sport empowers others to take control of their lives like climbing, and it’s important to translate that from the rock to everyday life.”
The Colorado HERA Climb for Life will take place June 13–15 at locations in and around Boulder. Whether you're a beginner or just returned from Mount Everest, everyone is welcome to participate. It's an awesome weekend of climbing with pros, learn to climb clinics with CMS, parties, giveaways, food, live music and fun to benefit a good cause. The event is being hosted by REI and the Colorado Mountain School. Registration is $65 with a fundraising minimum of $125. For more info and to register, visit www.climb4lifeco08.kintera.org.
Eden Ellman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003. A recreational climber since 1998, Ellman says, “When I was diagnosed I was in the best shape of my life…I’d never felt better.” However, had she known the symptoms beforehand, she believes she would have acted earlier.
“I had had some symptoms, but I didn’t really know they were symptoms and they went away.” A visit to the doctor quickly turned into a hysterectomy and a rigorous chemotherapy treatment. “I was lucky I caught it early,” says Ellman. “The key to early detection is awareness.”
Coming up on her fifth anniversary without a recurrence, she believes that climbing helped her through her struggle. “I climbed all through chemo,” says Ellman. “I made a plan of getting out and taking a trip between every treatment.” After she finished treatment, Ellman and her husband embarked on a “Recovery Tour” to climb in Penitente, Shelf Road and Moab, and to camp at Arches.
“It was so healing to get out and do that,” says Ellman. “Every time, I always made a point to stand on a rock and say goodbye to cancer.”
For more information, visit www.herafoundation.org.
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