| In an effort to assist the elimination of this dreadful disease, I
climbed 19 Colorado peaks that exceed 14,000 ft. in elevation
("fourteeners"). There are 54 fourteeners, and prior to being
diagnosed with a brain tumor, I had climbed all but 19 of them.
On August 19, 2000, I completed the remaining 19. In 1997 I was
diagnosed as having a oligodendroglioma in my right frontal lobe.
Oligodendroglioma is a big word, but it's just a brain tumor. I
had this tumor successfully removed and stand a good chance of having
had it cured. During my odyssey to educate myself about brain tumors,
I came across many people that are faced with this disease.
Despite the enormous challenges facing these people, they have proved to
be the most well-rounded and positive people I have ever met.
According to the American Brain Tumor Association, over 100,000
people are diagnosed each year with a brain tumor. With your help,
we can assist brilliant medical minds to help bring about better medical
treatment, or better yet an end, for this disease. |