Name: Lori Higgins

Age: 44

Hometown: Cohasset, MA

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

I am hiking Mt Kilimanjaro and raising funds for the MMRF in memory of my husband, Dr. Thomas David Higgins, who died from a very aggressive form of Multiple Myeloma in September 2015. He was 44 years old and a healthy, fit man who loved the ocean and the outdoors. We have four children who miss their Daddy every single day. Tom attempted every treatment available to him including an allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplant. Despite the progress and newly approved drugs available to MM patients, more research and treatments are needed to stop this incredibly complex disease in its tracks and spare other young families the pain that we have had to suffer. My husband was fortunate that he traveled the world for his career as an Economist. During the last few years of his life he went to the continent of Africa twice and decided that we should return together for a leisure trip and perhaps do some hiking (which we both loved) wine tasting and a safari. His diagnosis in early 2014 prevented us from any further international travel. I am grateful to both Takeda and the MMRF for the opportunity to get to Africa to take on this challenge, and raise funds to find the cure for this devastating cancer.