Tested Positive, Cancer Survivors on McKinley
In the Spring of 1997 an Expedition of Cancer Survivors Will Climb the Highest Mountain
in North America to Raise money for Children with Cancer and Cancer Research
What is Tested Positive, Cancer Survivors on McKinley?
Tested Positive, Cancer Survivors on McKinley is a non-profit organization whose
objective is to place a team of cancer survivors on the summit of the highest mountain
in North America, Mount McKinley (Denali) 20,320 feet.
How is Money Raised?
Through contributions from individuals, organizations and businesses. Hats and T-shirts are
available for sale as one way of helping to raise contributions.
Where Will the Money Go?
No one connected with Tested Positive, Cancer Survivors on McKinley receives a salary or
monetary compensation. They are all volunteers.
The majority (75%) of contributions collected will go to camps for children who have cancer
and the remainder (25%) will go to cancer research. The camps are usually a week long and take
children out of a hospital setting to allow them to be "kids" again in an outdoor setting. The camps
have qualified staff which allows some children to attend even while undergoing chemotherapy
treatments. Children attend the camps at no cost to them or their family. The cost
(which is paid for by contributions) for a child to attend these camps around the country, range in
price from $250 - $400 per child per week.
When Will the Climb Take Place?
The Tested Positive Team will climb McKinley in late May, early June of 1997. The team will leave
Talkeetna, Alaska and fly into the base camp at this time.
Who Will Make Up the Team and Is This a Free Climb for Them?
Please understand this is not a free climb for team members. Each team member
is required to pay her/his portion of the guiding fee and purchase or rent their own equipment.
In addition, Tested Positive requests that each team member raise at least $10,000 in contributions.
Additional Information
What Has Been Done So Far?
Two people have been a great help. Laura Evans of Expedition Inspiration, lead a group of
breast cancer survivors to the summit of Aconcagua. In her first letter to Tested Positive, she
wrote "Your story is all too familiar and if I didn't know that our efforts are indeed raising the
level of awareness and funds to find a cure, I would be discouraged." Laura truly is an inspiration
and has been an invaluable source of advice as this project progresses. Dolly LeFever, the first
American woman to reach all seven summits, has also been a great source of advice. The
encouragement from these two climbers has been instrumental to this "grassroots" project.
In September, 1995 Alex Lowe, of the North Face gave a slide show of the Speed Climbing
Competition on Khan Tengri Peak in Kyrgystan (formerly Russia), his climbs and escapades
in the Alaska Range and an expedition to the Ak-Su range in Kyrgystan where he climbed several big
wall rock and alpine routes along with other climbers from the North face climbing team. Bob
Hempstead, a local Alaskan climber, gave a slide show of his recent summit of Mount Everest.
Both events were fund raisers for Tested Positive. The Peninsula Clarion ran an article that was
picked up by the Associated Press and appeared in the Anchorgae Daily News as well as the Fairbanks
Daily News Miner newspapers. CLIMBING magazine also ran a description of the expedition
in their February/March1996 issue.
What Was The Motivation Behind the Organization?
Bob Summer is a 37 year old cancer survivor. At 23 years of age, an "extremely malignant" tumor
was removed from his neck. This was followed by numerous tests to stage the cancer, a laparotomy
and six weeks of radiation treatments. His cancer was finally classified as a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Since then a few benign lumps have been removed, but all have tested negative. For all practical purposes
he is considered "cancer free" and not had a recurrence.
One aspect of Bob's experience with cancer was the children he encountered in the cancer wards.
He saw these little people with IV's in their arms and their bald heads from the chemotherapy as they
were taken in for numerous tests. Of all the impressions from his bout with the disease, seeing those
children in that situation within the hospital setting was the strongest and longest lasting.
Bob's father is a cancer survivor, as is one his closest friends and most recently his sister-in-law, Anne.
Throughout this past year when Anne was undergoing surgery, tests, chemotherapy, a bone marrow
transplant and radiation, Bob felt a strong need to do more. Keeping fit has always been a priority in
Bob's life and while hiking the Chilkoot Trail alone this past spring, he decided to combine two goals
(one to do something to assist people who have cancer and the other, to climb Denali). Upon
his return to Soldotna, Tested Positive, Cancer Survivors on McKinley was conceived.
This past August he and a friend summited Mount Rainier (14,411 feet). Although Bob has been
running around the different mountain ranges (the Brooks, Alaska and Wrangells) for years; he had
been told there was some damage to the upper lobes of his lungs by the radiation treatments he had
received, so he was pleased how his body handled the climb and altitude.
Besides being a husband, father to three of the greatest girls in the world, first-time fund raiser and
organizer of this climb, he is also an 8th grade History teacher at Kenai Middle School on the beautiful
Kenai Peninsula in south central Alaska. Four years ago, his principal, Paul Sorenson, allowed him
to build a climbing wall (complete with three belays and an overhang) in the gymnasium. The climbing wall
has been well received by students and community members alike.
What Can I Do To Help?
If you could help us locate potential team members (we are taking applications until late April of this
year), make a monetary contribution, have any advice or would like to involved in some way, we
would surely welcome it. If nothing else, please tell other people about what is being done
through this organization. It will help.
Once again, the cost for a child to attend a camp is approximately $250-$400. The most obvious
way is to contribute is to send monetary contributions to:
Tested Positive, Cancer Survivors on McKinley
35555 Spur Highway #225
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
Phone: 1-907-262-6631
Please make checks out to Tested Positive. Thank you!
Order a Hat or T-shirt
Wear a Cancer Survivors on McKinley hat or T-shirt and help get the word out!
Hats are fully adjustable, made by the Fahrenheit company and are100% cotton.
The two colors are olive green and beige.
T-Shirtscome in LARGE, EXTRA LARGE, EXTRA EXTRA LARGE. They are a
100% cotton "power-T", preshrunk and high quality.
The price for either the hat or shirt is $18. Please add $2 for shipping and handling.
All proceeds from the sales of hats and shirts will go to allow children with cancer to attend
these special camps and for cancer research.
When ordering, please include the following:
Name/Address/Phone/Number of hats and/or shirts/color(hats)/size(T-shirts)
$18 per hat or shirt + $2 for shipping and handling to the U.S. Mail address above.
Email us at positive@alaska.net
Visitor Number
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