Name: Mark "Splinter" Harder

Age: 50

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Reason for climbing: Family Member with MM

My entire family has been touched by cancer. My Mother and her Sisters, my Sister, my Grand Parents all have had cancer. I come from an era where people used to say "Terminal" or "Not Terminal" cancer. So the idea of being a cancer "Survivor" didn't really ring for me until I realized that I had a couple of really good friends who were survivors. Meeting Stan at our first meeting really reset my mind that the world is different now and cancer doesn't always win. People get diagnosed, they get treated and they are free to live life having survived that bout with cancer. I want to support and promote our courageous trekking survivors and bring awareness to the rest of the world that the MMLF foundation is doing a great deal of the work helping these people beat down cancer.

Special Fact: I will be the documentarian on this trip. That will mean a lot of things, most likely that I'll be carrying more stuff than anyone else. Also, I just broke my big toe, again, but I will be ready by next January. (Sorry Jamie, still no kick boxing. And it's the other toe. Sheesh!)