Your story is your strength

…and I am telling mine to raise awareness and find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, in my lifetime.

Let me take a step back. This all started the day I was diagnosed with MS on Sept 4th, 2019. I wasn’t going to take this news laying down, sitting down, or even standing still! I vowed to become an advocate for myself and for those that didn’t have the strength and energy to do so for themselves.

This incurable disease wasn’t going to put out the fire I had burning inside. I was actually letting it do the opposite, it ignited that fire and made it burn hotter!

I decided I was going to go on with my bucket list of items I had created before my diagnosis. One of them was summiting Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast at 6,288 feet. However, I wasn’t just going to climb it, I was going to turn this hike into a fundraiser, raising funds for the National MS Society. I am driven to find help for those living with MS and provide them with the resources they need to live their best life and to fund the research to find a cure for MS.

I was incredibly anxious on that day, taking along 4 of my biggest supporters and experienced hiking friends in the midst of COVID. We mapped out the trails to take, the stops for rest, and the food and water needed. We left bright and early and we hiked upwards.

I was overwhelmed with this climb, the wear and tear it was taking on my body and my mind, my legs specifically which I had just regained the feeling back mere months ago. I was doing what I thought would become impossible with this disease. I was hiking Mount Washington. I took in every single moment on that mountain. I left the fear of having MS on that mountain and when I summited, I physically wept and embraced my best friend. I had done it. We had done it, together. What escaped me at that moment was what I had ACTUALLY done.

I had raised $10,000 for Multiple Sclerosis that day!

I was blown away, when we reached the bottom, 9 hours later, and I checked my socials and my donation page I couldn’t believe what had conspired. So many people, my friends, my family, and my social network coming together to donate to my cause. A cause I was building awareness for. That I was spreading the ORANGE for. The supporting notes and kind words of encouragement warmed me to my core.

I shouted it from those mountain tops, through my quivering voice, my eyes filled with tears, all of my emotions of what I was about to endure, for the rest of my life, I released it. It’s a rather big pill to swallow. I wasn’t given a choice, I was dealt this disease and I was going to figure out how to own it instead of letting it own me.

Coming down from the literal high.

After that climb I kept fundraising, and I kept representing those living with MS every March for MS Awareness Month. I would raise funds, I would post daily for the month a fact about MS and how it related to my specific diagnosis. I had made an initial impact with a bang. I started to question, whether could I ever do it again.

It wasn’t ever enough. It came to my attention that I would never be able to solely raise $10,000 again, not by myself. It took a few years to come up with a plan. And I had my ah-ha moment when the National MS Society (NMSS) announced its MS Ambassador program. Like myself, and how to fundraise more, they were thinking of how they get deeper into communities and drive awareness. It was through those with MS living in those communities. This program officially trains us to be able to speak about MS to our community, it gives us the tools and resources to build a following and set up events, talking sessions, and more, right in our own communities.

That was it! So, of course, I became an MS Ambassador and decided I would get my community involved. My entire community. I became inspired by what other Ambassadors were doing in their towns and cities. I wanted to go big, I wanted to start something that could happen annually, that had the potential to grow and become something bigger than myself.

I worked with the Walk MS: Your Way campaign team, Katya L. to be exact. She works from the Walk MS organization and helped guide me every step of the way on this ‘do it yourself’ event. Together we create an event page through the NMSS Walk MS site. And the rest is a whirlwind of activities that I was both excited and terrified about. Excited for what the possibilities could be and terrified of failing miserably. But I would never know if I didn’t try.

I wanted this event to tell my story. To share with my community what it is I do. What do I do? I hike, for my mind, body, and soul. I was going to create a climbing event. I was going to share the mountain that I love and hike the most, with the world, or at least my community.

I reached out to my contacts at the local mountain, Pats Peak Ski Area. I chose this mountain not just because it’s local but II don’t just ski it, I snowshoe it, I climb it, I run it, I hike it, I walk it …mostly for sunrise but it’s perfect just to get outside, and lose myself in nature. They know me well as I am captured on their security cameras doing my thing and I post and tag them for all my sunrise hikes. They became the main sponsor of my event donating the day and the space! I was ecstatic. I had a venue.

I named the event: Climb the Peak for MS. We were climbing Pats Peak and it all just came together from there.

I got to work on designing the event logo, ordering signage, t-shirts, and hats, creating flyers to post around town, sending emails, and making phone calls to other local businesses. I was able to get coupons from our local ice cream/coffee shop, Superscoops, and get a local bakery to make MS color-themed finisher cupcakes as well as the local pizzeria, Western Ave to fund the volunteer shirts. I knew I would need help and lots of it.

I shared this with my neurologist's office and they put up my flyers and told all their MS patients. I shared it with the MS Wellness Program I am part of, and got invited to webinars and speaking series to share my story and the Climb. I was featured in blog posts and made sure to call local newspapers and news stations. I made sure everyone knew about it. I created videos and promoted them on social media. I created a matching donation page at my workplace and for months I planned, made to-do lists, and leaned on my volunteers to help find sponsors. We were able to get helium donated by the local hardware store, Edmunds, and bottles of water donated by Coca-Cola! I took the time to attend the Rotary meeting in my town. To introduce myself and my mission. I told my story again and again, I gave people a face to put with the MS. We need to make a connection. I was that connection now. And I wanted others with MS to make themselves known through this event.

The Climb the Peak for MS promotional video

Finally, it was here, Sunday, May 21st, 2023: It was the big day. I was so nervous. I couldn’t sleep that night, I had ordered more balloons than could ever be used, calling them ‘panic purchases’. I had packed my Jeep and pulled everything else out that needed to be brought and I took off for the mountain at 4 AM.

I needed to hike her and greet the day. The day that earlier in the week was threatening rain but looked to be more overcast. I hiked her as I had 100s of times before, but today with a heavy, nervous heart. When I got to the top there was a warm breeze and it was blowing the fog up the trails toward me. Dawn was breaking and I could see the clouds swiftly blowing past. I thought to myself as I looked back down at the lodge where the event would soon begin, at least it isn’t raining. I looked up at the heavens I thought hiking her was a way to free my mind and lift the weight and anxiety. I thanked the universe. I thanked the universe for giving me the strength, boldness, and courage to pull together an event like this. To hopefully start something bigger than me, because it takes a community to raise the kind of awareness and funds we need to find a cure for MS.

I hiked back down and began to put out the parking signs and blow-up balloons. Feeling overwhelmed that there was so much to do and then it happened, my volunteers started showing up. They filed in asking what they could do to help, taking my direction, and running with it. I got chills. They were there for me, to see the success of this event through. They blew up balloons, ran them around the mountain, set up registration tables, raffle areas, met the baker as she arrived with 100 cupcakes, and oh, did I mention I got a DJ to donate his time and equipment to help bring the event to life at the base with an awesome playlist created by an amazing and dear friend that knows me best!? Everything was just happening so I took a crew of them and drove the Jeep to the top stopping along the way to set out balloons to mark the trail and drop off event selfie frames and cases of water.

Check out some of the pictures from set up.

We were running a little behind because we had an 8:30 time set with the photographer that donated her time and morning to take pictures and capture this event. When I arrived back at the base area, the event was going, running like a well-oiled machine. People were there, with their MS climb bibs on, fully checked in and registered, the music was playing, and people were gathering in their MS orange attire. They were buying raffle tickets, event hats, and checking out the Adorn Body art station as I also had a friend donate her time and talents to perform body art on participants with all proceeds going to the climb.

I was greeted by smiles, people hugging me, thrilled to finally be meeting me in person. I was humbled. I was emotional. I was incredibly happy. The sun had come out and the day had happened. It had come. All of the planning had paid off, the volunteers took my vision and made it happen. I can’t thank them enough. I was able to network and talk with those that had come out to represent those in their lives with MS, those they knew of that had MS, or to climb because they had MS and still could. I set up 3 climb paths, one for accessibility so those with walkers, poles, and wheelchairs could still get outside and see and smell nature around them but without the actual climb. There was a halfway climb that had a selfie frame and water, you could stop and enjoy the view there or grab a bottle of water and continue to the summit. It is my dream to one day have the chair lift running so everyone can make it to the top and enjoy the view no matter if their legs can get them there or not. After this year, I really think this is possible. I climbed the mountain again but with the climbers, moving up and back and across the group of climbers introducing myself, asking them how they liked it, whom they were climbing for, and if they had MS and didn’t mind when they were diagnosed and learning as much as I could about all of them!

I had a few opportunities to get on the microphone and speak. I had it scripted on my phone as I lose my words but after the first welcome I didn’t need that script anymore, I was able to talk from my heart and feel like I was connecting with those that were there. I thanked our sponsors, shared my story, and educated, hopefully, informed the crowd.

I introduced a retired healthcare practitioner, now comedian and fellow MS Warrior, Renee Buckley and through her humor she educated the audience on what MS really means, and the fact that it might be invisible with some but it’s very visible with others. She showed them with her humor and they laughed. I laughed. I was so honored to have her there.

I ended the event by again thanking everyone but with tears of appreciation in my voice and promoting that next year will happen, that this event is annual and to mark their calendars for June 9th, 2024.

I couldn’t believe how many people clapped and took out their phones to mark the date on the spot.

I packed up, I went home, I unpacked the cars and I sat.

I had a day. An amazing day. I would have to say, one of the most amazing days of my life. I made new friends, and friends like me, with MS. And met families, families that support and have loved ones with MS. I have also had a ton of friend requests on social media from attendees, and others that heard about the event have reached out directly and want to be part of it next year. This all brings a smile to my face. Yes! Yes, to it all!

I came out of this event with a different sense of selflessness. I was doing my event, my way, but what I got out of it was that I wasn’t doing this for me anymore, I was doing it for my MS community, I was doing it to raise awareness about this incurable disease that decides when and how it will be taking over our day. Each and every day. The disease does not discriminate and gives no choice or other options.

It took me a while to be able to sit down and write this post, I started, stopped, saved and walked away several times. Why? Because frankly and to be completely honest...

I am emotional about the day.
The volunteers. The sponsors. The raffle donators. The people! The energy. The weather. The overall support I felt. It's overwhelming.

It all came together and everyone helped bring my vision of this Walk MS: Your Way event to life. My first ever organized event and I did it MY way, all while raising awareness and funds for MS in a big way! I was able to make an impact and I am hopeful that impact will spiral upward each year.

The Climb the Peak for MS was born on May 21st at 9 AM and it will be back annually with next year's date already on the books. Mark your calendars 📅 June 9th, 2024 same time, same great mountain.

I am so humbled by what this event turned into and what lead to its success!

$16,000 raised to help those living with MS and finding a cure!
We have a new event page open and are accepting donations - please feel free to DONATE NOW.

#ClimbThePeak #CureMS #TakeAHike #BringYourFamily #ItTakesACommunity

Thank you to our sponsors: Pats Peak Ski Area, Western Ave Pizzeria, SuperScoops, and Cake Mama LLC, NH you helped lift the event even higher.

I had to share more photos because the photographers did a great job and it was such a gorgeous day with so many smiling faces, having a great time together. Enjoy.