Name: Matt Goldman

Age: 55

Hometown: Long Beach, CA

Link: http://support.themmrf.org/goto/mattgoldman

Reason for climbing: Multiple Myeloma patient and to help fund efforts to find a cure and support other patients

I live in Long Beach California. I’ve always been fairly active. I used to ride my bike to work, about 10 miles each way. It was the best and most relaxing way to start and end a work day. In early 2011, I noticed that I was getting a bit fatigued on my daily bike commute. I just assumed I was letting myself get out of shape. Soon the little bit of fatigue turned in to a lot of fatigue. It was getting hard to get a deep breath. I also noticed that during the day I was getting super tired. I had given up eating meat and thought perhaps I simply wasn’t getting enough protein in my diet. But then I started getting daily fevers, night sweats and chills. My primary care doctor tested me for everything, except cancer. Eventually I was hospitalized because I was so anemic. After some tests, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. That day was May 2, 2011. I started chemo the very next day. It was a scary time. Five plus years later, I still do chemo, but the cancer is stable. I’ve learned how to live with this new normal. I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I ever knew. I can honestly say that, while I’d prefer not to have cancer, I’ve become a better person since my diagnosis. Since being diagnosed, I’ve tried to stay somewhat fit. Climbing Kilimanjaro gives me a chance to proof to myself that I am still capable of taking on big challenges. It also gives me an opportunity to give back to the myeloma community. I’ve met the most amazing and wonderful people during this journey. I’ve also lost friends to the disease. I’m climbing not just for myself but for those who can’t and to honor those who are no longer with us I hope I don’t let people down.