Name: Dr. Cesar Rodriguez
Age: 40
Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC

For the past six years, I have focused on treating myeloma patients and participating in clinical trials to help find ways of controlling this disease, and hopefully find a cure. Regardless of the amount of conferences I attend or journals I read, the knowledge I have gained from my patients far exceeds what can be taught in a class. It is their wins, their battles and their losses that push me to try harder, to enjoy life’s moments, and to accept our limitations.

The research I have worked with the help of organizations, drug companies and government funding has allowed opportunities where there were walls, and hope were there was none left. Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma is a great opportunity raise awareness on the achievements obtained from research, from challenging ourselves to bigger things, and strive to overcome obstacles.

A mountain climb that will challenge my body and mind seems like a perfect allegory of what it may be like to go through myeloma treatment. Unfortunately, it often is more than one mountain that needs to be climbed while on treatment, so this will be the first of more to come for me as well. I do this hike in honor of my patients who are going through their journey, those who have touched many lives, and in memory of my aunt.