*ALL DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO RESEARCH FOR CERVICAL/UTERINE CANCER

Many women over the age of 50 don't believe they are at risk for cervical/uterine cancer. Because of this, they forego PAP smears and GYN appointments. In the year 2020, on my 53rd birthday, I was diagnosed with stage 2 cervical cancer. It was discovered through a routine PAP smear. I had no symptoms, no pain, no indication there was a 5 cm tumor growing inside my cervix and that the cancer was spreading fast. A week later, I was in surgery, two weeks after that, an intense round of chemo and radiation. Then, the worst procedure of all, 3 rounds of brachytherapy. 

Today, because of the quick actions of my doctors and the innovative treatments at UCLA, I am cancer free. There is a saying that the cancer doctors at UCLA break rules to save lives, and for this, I'm eternally grateful. It was the most difficult few months of my life, but I believe this experience made me stronger than ever. I promised myself that if I got through that grueling ordeal, I would climb Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa and the 4th highest of the Seven Summits. At 19,340 feet, it is the highest free standing mountain in the world.  In October 2020, 1 month after my final cancer treatment, I began training for my climb, which is set for September 13-20, 2021. 

The purpose of my Kilimanjaro climb is to raise money and awareness for cervical cancer so that others can get the state of the art treatment I was offered. It is also to show that a cancer diagnosis, especially for those over the age of 50, doesn't mean that life has to be half lived. When put to the test, we can be stronger than we ever imagined, and my theory is that if I can survive cancer, a mountain in itself, I can climb one of the world's highest peaks. I want others to believe the same.