My name is April Cooper and I live in Dallas, Texas. Just a few short years ago I had never heard of multiple myeloma. In the fall of 2015 my beautiful mom, Brenda, slipped while cleaning the bathtub and hit her rib on the side of the tub. That injury never quite healed and eventually she went to the doctor. She ended up having lesions on her ribs (among other places) and she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and thyroid cancer in January 2016. For the next year and 8 months we navigated life with this cancer as a family. There is nothing easy about cancer. The patient endures so much and so does the family. With no training, families become caregivers and nurses essentially, learning every aspect of the disease and treatment. She passed away in August of 2017. She was 52 years old. If love could have saved her, she would still be alive today.

Almost immediately after she passed away I felt this pull to keep her memory alive and honor her by participating in events and challenges that drive cancer research for multiple myeloma. Since August 2017 I have joined friends in MMRF 5Ks, tower climbs, mountain climbs and now this Alaskan trek, all while raising thousands of dollars for a cure. This will be my second challenge with Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma and I'm thrilled to be part of this team. I am not an avid hiker, but being with a group that pushes you to keep trekking is an incredible feeling. Events like this mean a lot to me for a couple reasons. Like I mentioned, it's important to be part of the journey to find a cure. I hope to see that in my lifetime. It's also important to me to have the chance to talk about my mother; to share her journey and struggles. It means a great deal to me to hear about others' success stories as well. It gives me hope that future and current patients are beating this disease thanks to the advancements in cancer research. I'm most looking forward to the fellowship, stories, connections and the gorgeous views. I'm excited to be Brave Like Brenda.