My mother has never been the biggest or tallest, never the one to stand out in a crowd. Nor is she the loudest, never seeking attention. One thing, however, which she has always been, is the strongest. She is the rock of our family, the foundation upon which we have all been built on and the glue that has held us all together for all these years.

When she was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma ten years ago it was a huge blow to our family. As anyone would do in devastating times like these, I first thought — why her? Why our family? The mind can sometimes be pulled to worst case scenario and you wonder if anything will ever be the same. But like the rock my mother is, she has stayed strong. There is no crack in the foundation and she continues to support us all and inspires us to fight on just like her.

Because of all this I'm honored today to be her son and to fight alongside her against multiple myeloma. After all the support she has given us throughout the years it's our turn to support her. We are so proud of the money being raised on her behalf already and are thrilled to continue to raise for this cause. I've learned from her how capable we all are to achieve when our hearts and minds are in it and this effort proves that.

I've been lucky enough to grow up with such an amazing mother, always there and always willing to do anything for me. Though I can never fully pay her back for what she has done for me, I've been given this opportunity now to stand beside her in this fight.

Just like this Grand Canyon hike, life has the same ups and downs but we just need to put one foot in front of the other and march on. My mother has not given up. She has kept moving, kept living, kept loving. And as her will stays strong to conquer multiple myeloma so too does my will to conquer the Grand Canyon for her. There is no canyon too low or cliff too steep, for my mother. We will move this mountain