I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support Fred Hutch’s Climb to Fight Cancer.

Like many, I have deep personal motivations for doing this climb.  My father Dana was diagnosed when I was 3 years old with myeloid metaplasia myelofibrosis which is a precancerous condition.  He battled for 22 years and I was lucky to have him in my life for far longer than the odds would have predicted and I'm grateful for all that he taught me.  He was a wonderful father and a role model for me.  I also lost my grandfather Edward Ingram to melanoma.  He was the quintessential outdoorsman and taught me hunting, fishing and was my personal golf coach.  I love them both and I'm doing this climb to honor the love and wisdom they gave me.

I'm also climbing because for six years while I was living in Seattle, I had the honor of being a member of the Board of the Hutch.  I got to see first hand the superb science being done at the Hutch and the commitment by the scientists, administrators, the Board and the entire Hutch family to defeat cancer.  

Cancer is a devastating disease, estimated to strike one in three women and one in two men in their lifetimes. I am climbing to raise vital funds for Fred Hutch’s lifesaving research. You can help by donating to my climb, which will accelerate the quest for cures.

Fred Hutch has made some of the world’s most important medical advances — from developing bone marrow transplantation as a cure for leukemia, to pioneering powerful therapies that harness the immune system to fight cancer, to leading national and international initiatives that enable earlier cancer diagnoses and more effective treatments. This leading-edge research depends on private contributions that fuel novel studies, which have the power to make a profound difference.

Please click the “Donate” button and give to the Climb to Fight Cancer. Any amount you can give makes a difference to people and families facing deadly diseases. Your gift is 100 percent tax deductible and will fund extraordinary research, lifesaving discoveries, and cures. Thank you for your support!