So, we are sitting on the bus right now on our way to Sedona, Arizona, the halfway stop on the way to the Grand Canyon, and Catherine and I are laughing and fussing about something and Bernadette, one of our fellow travelers, just said “you two are like sisters.”

That makes me smile, but that’s how I feel about her and why this hike is so important and so fun. Whenever we are together, we have to make an action point list so that we can get through all of our important topics before one of us has to go.

If nothing else, this hike gives us lots of times to talk! The hike is tomorrow. That is actually sort of surreal … after so many months of thinking about this, about fundraising, about training, here we go. I am excited, I am nervous, I am honored, I am ready. I think climbing the Grand Canyon and this hike is a metaphor for life.

I am sure that some moments tomorrow will be amazing, breathtaking and thrilling, but some will be torturous, painful and scary. Just like dealing with multiple myeloma. But, we will put one foot in front of the other and get it done. What choice do we have? We can be scared or nervous or worried that we made a mistake even signing up, but that will just use up precious energy, which frankly I think will need.

Anxiety is heavy. Worrying about the future is heavy. Worrying about what will happen to Catherine in the future is heavy. So, we choose NOT to worry, to have faith in science, in organizations like the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to help Catherine and all of the patients with multiple myeloma.

Yesterday, Congress voted to increase the National Institutes of Health budget, instead of decreasing it as expected. This is a huge sigh of relief for those of us in research and on the funding front lines. But, in reality, it is only a temporary reprieve because next year’s budget might be cut again and we will have to stress about that all over again.

So, uncertainty is probably here to stay, and thus, it is even more important for everyone to support causes like the MMRF now. Everyone will be touched by cancer at some point in his or her lifetime. That is a fact. So, let’s all start fighting it today.

Call your congress people, eat right, exercise and start talking about it. Start donating to private organizations like the MMRF, which are doing something to help us all. As I am about to hike tomorrow, I thank all of my donors. Your support means so much, and trust me, your donation will do so much good for so many people.

People keep saying that it is so great that I am able to support Catherine in this hike. What most don’t realize is that she is the one supporting me. She keeps me going all of the time and I’m sure tomorrow will be no different. I don’t pretend to know what she is going through dealing with multiple myeloma, but I know that we will go through it together. I will be by her side and we will continue to laugh and fuss tomorrow and for years to come.