I'm 6 days away from leaving. Feb 16 I fly to Amsterdam, spend a day there. The team will rendezvous there and then we all fly together to Tanzania. About 20 hours total of flying. We spend a day in a small city called Moshi and then we start our climb. 6.5 days up. 1.5 days down. I am ready and excited beyond words. This weekend I'll get a couple of final things for the trip and then start packing. We have to keep our duffel bag below 30 pounds. Porters carry our duffel. We carry our back pack. I'm feeling strong and good. Clearly when we did the training climb in Colorado this past summer, I was on the verge of relapse. That climb and the subsequent Mt Baldy climb here in Los Angeles kicked my ass. But my new treatment, darzalex and pomalyst, is working like a charm and I feel as good as I have felt since being diagnosed. So I am pretty darn confident that I got this thing.
As a team we have raised almost a quarter million dollars. I'm approaching $15,000. The support and kind words I have received have left me nearly speechless. I so touched by the amazing support. I'll carry that with me up the mountain. And the team is comprised of a great group of people. All somehow connected to myeloma, including 6 patients (me included of course).
Our cell service will be very limited while climbing, but Cure Magazine, the MMRF and Takeda will have a satellite phone and will post daily blogs and a progress tracker. The links to follow us are
And don't forget, it is not too late to donate. The MMRF is working hard to find a cure for this incurable blood cancer.
Hi Matt, I don't "know you" know you, but we've followed each other's blogs for some time now, and I am so impressed with your commitment to the Kilimanjaro goal! I certainly don't have the helium for that lol! Go you!!! I'll donate to your campaign now... and thank you for all your Darazalex updates, as I'll probably be starting that later this month. So glad the treatment has worked so well for you, and I hope the same for me. Best of luck on the trip and climb! Looking forward to your and the MMRF updates! Julie
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