Scaling heights to fight cancer

Strength, courage, facing adversities and finding the power from within to continue — these are just a few of the qualities that women fighting breast cancer call upon daily. To honor those attributes and to raise awareness of the research that has been done and still needs to be done in the area of breast cancer, a group of local mountaineers joined others to climb Oregon’s Mt. Hood last weekend.

“It was quite an adventure,” said Mike Leum.

The climb was part of a fundraiser for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

“Private donations made through the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer make possible new research on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease,” said Christi Ball Loso of the research center.

The climb began at midnight June 6 and continued into the early morning hours of June 7. The group of 25 included four members of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team: Leum, Dr. John Rodarte, Robert Sheedy and Lyle Koegler. La Cañada pediatric dentist Dr. Keith Serxner also joined them.

“It was gorgeous conditions, not a cloud in the sky when we headed out,” Leum said. “When we came close to the summit, the guides assessed the avalanche danger.”

The guides found that the danger for a possible avalanche was too great and the group was turned around, about 600 feet short of the summit.

The five local climbers all agreed that the decision was a correct one and that the quest was really for breast cancer awareness and research.

Every climber brought prayer flags that were inscribed with names of those who have been affected by cancer.

“We all had our prayer flags,” said Serxner.

“Every member had their reason for climbing,” Loso said. “Some were personal stories.”

Rodarte had climbed Mt. Rainer with Sheedy and Leum for the research center last year. At that time he said that being a physician, he understood how important research is and wanted to support that. This year, however, the climb was even more personal.

“I think it hit home more this year because one of my office [employees] was diagnosed with breast cancer about a month before the hike,” Rodarte said.

He said she is undergoing chemotherapy and the prognosis is good. The entire office got together to help raise money.

“And she got her own special flag,” he said.

He added that as he climbed this year he felt she was with him.