Friday, September 23

Being part of Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma team this year has been the honor of a lifetime. We traveled to some of the most awe-inspiring places in the world and climbed to heights of over 19,000 feet. Mount Kilimanjaro, the Grand Canyon and Machu Picchu are among the most beautiful places I have ever seen, though as a reflect back on these treks, the real beauty lies in the people I met and the human spirit.

We came from all walks of life, connected by our desire to cure multiple myeloma. I have never seen more dedication, hope, strength, love and compassion.

The mountain that moved us all is cancer, these patients and caregvers did not do these climbs to check off a bucket list item, they did not do it for recognition. They did it to raise over $500,000 for the MMRF, an organization which has been involved in the last 10 FDA-approved drugs to treat multiple myeloma. Yes, patients are living longer and have a better quality of life, but there is still no cure and therefore we must keep raising money and awareness for this intolerable disease.

The human spirit is what drove us all up these massive mountains and canyons as a team. We all wanted to make it to the top, but more importantly, we all wanted to see everyone make it to the top.

Perhaps Machu Picchu is an analogy for cancer research: It took years and thousands of people to complete a seemingly impossible task. Their strongest machine back then was the human spirit. That, combined with cutting-edge science and research, is how we will beat this disease. It will take a village to cure multiple myeloma. No one person or company can do it alone.

The human spirit is a force to be reckoned with!