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Mount
Aconcagua: The climb for prostate cancer
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Dispatch
from the mountain: The mountains, like the sea, are
unpredictable. However, I think the group was an
exceptional group of people I was proud to hike with.
The climb was in the true spirit of the PCC. We left
the parking lot at Whitney Portal early Friday morning
and started the long climb to Trail Camp. Everyone
arrived to high camp in great spirits. All were tired
from the 7+ mile 4,000' push, but all were healthy and
happy upon arrival. We set up camp and prepared for a
2am summit attempt to try and arrive at the summit in
time to watch the sunrise. The 12,000' high camp made
the night sleeping hard and Michele Weyman had a
reaction to the meal she ate and woke up with a
stomach sickness and vomited. She ate some oatmeal and
set out with the team at 2am in an attempt to make the
summit. Michele's stomach was getting worse and with
her vomiting I did not want her to push on for fear of
dehydration and further sickness. So, we turned around
an hour into the summit climb and made plans for her
to descend. Due to Michelle Caperellis unselfish
friendship, she decided to turn around at the top of
the switch backs (less than 3 miles from the summit)
after a stellar performance to join her sick friend
and assist in the descent. There is no doubt in my
mind Caperelli would have been standing on the summit
if she had not turned around. This unselfish act rang
the true heart of the Prostate Cancer Climb. On
Aconcagua, several people turned around early to
assist others for its "not the summit but the
true experiences on the mountain that count." My
heartful congrats also go out to Team Members: Gregg
Swanson, Diane Lee, John Wieland and Lynda Lee for
their conquest of the mountain when they stood atop
the highest peak in the lower forty-eight on Saturday
morning (10-13-01). It was a long day for all, but one
that will never be forgotten. Thanks to all of you for
a truly memorable and wonderful weekend. I thank all
the sponsors for their support and for allowing us to
keep on trekking for Prostate Cancer Awareness.
Dr.
Terry Weyman
Prostate Cancer Climb, Founder
Hap Weyman Memorial Climb
Mount
Aconcagua: The climb for prostate cancer:
Below....
Update
2/26/2001: Summit
Thank
you all for your excitement and questions regarding the
next Prostate Cancer Climb. The response is
overwhelming and exciting. More and more each day I
get e-mails from people wanting to know when the next
climb will be. This is the best I can tell you. We are
still wrapping up this past climb. We have so much to
do with print ads, media, editing and selling the
film, writing the book while the trip is still fresh
in our minds, organizing trips to different state
capitals and hosting a final dinner celebration.
Our
goal is to produce one to two climbs a year. Detail
are not set yet and still need to be worked out. We
would like to put on climbs that everyone can do.
Fathers and sons, mothers and grandparents. One of the
summit team members, Justin Lukasavige has a guide
service and he will be putting on a climb in August
for the Prostate Cancer Climb. The trip they
considering will probably be a 7-9 day trip in the
south west of CO. It will most likely include a 2 day
hike in and a chance to summit 4 14,000'+ peaks. There
may be another weekend trip also. As far as next year
that is to be determined. When a climb is put together
the details will be mailed out to this list for any
interested trekkers.
Thank
you so much for your continued support and we are
still taking donations for this climb through the end
of the year. Our goal is still, to
top ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Please continue to spread the
word and ask your friends to support us.
Dr.
Terry Weyman
Prostate Cancer Climb, Expedition Leader
Hap Weyman Memorial Climb
www.prostatecancerclimb.com
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Expedition Summary: Greetings
- Buenos Dias
What
a trip! The expedition broke all of our expectations!
We set out with a few goals in mind. Goals of getting
men together to discuss and educate the public,
climbing community, the world and each other on the
issues of Prostate Cancer. We came to the mountain to
let it teach us about ourselves and of each other. All
were accomplished! We broke a couple of records in the
process too and several heroes emerged from the dust
of that dry mountain.
As
the expedition leader can I say how proud I was to be
a part of this
magnificent event and to thank all of you who were
apart of this great beginning. We have started a spark
that began to flame in Argentina and I hope the flame
burns brighter with each day and year that follows.
Many of you followed our journey, thanks to GlobalStar
Sat phones. You saw and heard the tone of the trip
change and felt the excitement in our voices as we
learned, experienced and pushed on. There are some
highlights that I feel that I need to share with all
of you who have followed this journey from a thought
in Africa to the summit of the highest mountain in the
western hemisphere.
1.
All the corporate sponsors who signed on for our
expedition, (we were the best dressed on the
mountain.) More importantly, it gave us hope and
encouragement that there were corporations who
believed in our cause and before any media attention
came upon us. It showed us that these people believed
in our efforts long before anyone else did. We humbly
thank all of you and hope that our efforts show our
appreciation and you all become a permanent fixture of
the prostate cancer climbs in the future.
2.
Bob Each. He was the true hero of the summit team. He
not only educated us on the effects of active prostate
cancer but he also went out of his way to educate
climbers on the mountain from around the world. It was
brought to our attention that there were people back
in the states wondering why we only had one prostate
cancer patient on the summit team. What people don't
understand is that with Prostate Cancers treatment, a
man is robbed of his main ingredient, Testosterone.
Another side effect is severe anemia. With these two
conditions physical activity is severely limited
especially up in altitude. Due to the conditions,
activity and weather, Bob was unable to take some of
his medication. Yet this man went higher than any man
has ever gone with Prostate Cancer, higher than
16,000'!!! [Anyone know of anyone who has went higher
with Prostate Cancer ?] There were a few men around
him wanting to quit but then they looked at Bob and
dug a little deeper and kept going. Bob explained that
Prostate Cancer robbed him of his "manhood"
and he has felt like a shell of a man since. The fact
was I could not find anyone with active PC that had
the strength both physically or mentally to do this
climb safely. Bob was the only one who wanted the
chance and boy did he prove that a true man has
nothing to do with testosterone but what's in his
heart. Bob has a heart bigger than Aconcagua! We
talked, we cried, we laughed and we had the adventure
of our lives. The only reason he went down was he was
having difficulty sleeping and was ready to go down.
He left behind memories that will be with us forever.
Honor him and do what he wishes, go get tested!!
3.
The other hero on this climb was a member of the
trekking team. Bob Butler from Texas. Bob was the
oldest person we know of to ever set foot in Basecamp.
At 75 Bob showed us his love for his fellow man and
put one foot in front of the other. He showed up in
Argentina with a foot injury, he was ordered a horse
to carry him to Basecamp. In true Texas style he
showed up to the trail head, refused the horse, took
off his walking cast and put one foot in front of the
other and walked the three days, 4 thousand vertical
feet, 25+ miles unassisted. He never complained and
always had a smile on his face. One of the guides
remarked that he has seen hundreds of remarkable
athletes in his life but Bob is on the top of the list
as the most inspirational and remarkable.
4.
Then there was Murray Swindel who was dealing with the
complications of this disease, yet always had
something positive to say. Jim Cozad and Ken Malik who
are survivors and through their stories and education
inspired us all.
5.
Seeing all these men who did not know each other
gather from around the country for one task, to get
men to talk about "their" disease. I
remember looking at all of them coming down from camp
1 thinking "these men believed in my idea, yet
they have taken it farther than I could have ever
hoped". No one argued, no one complained,
everyone got along as if they were long lost brothers.
Everyone broke their personal altitude record and
everyone loved their fellow man! Amazing!
6.
Seeing the banners fly and all 200+ blue ribbons
flying in the wind with names of men from around the
world on them. It brought tears to many eyes and
inspired many others.
7.
Perfect weather for the entire trip. We had heavy
winds on summit day but other than that, absolutely
perfect weather. God was definitely watching over us!
8.
We shot 58+ hours of the most incredible film we could
have hoped for. We got stories of survival, hardship,
love and compassion and fight. Mike Weintz and his
incredible film crew of Blue Nelson, Paulo Castillo,
Tom Taplin and Dan Windom. These men did such an
amazing story of capturing "life on the
mountain". They were compassionate and had an
incredible eye. I can't wait to see the edited
footage. They were true masters and because of them
our story of Prostate Cancer will be told. Dr. Tom
Hyde who at the very last minute stepped forward to
act as the expedition photographer shot more than
1,100 images on the mountain. He caught the true
stories and was a true hero to come forward and take
on the responsibility. What a true friend!
9.
John Loesing and Sean Mauer. These men are true
writers and captured amazing moments in words. These
two will make sure these heroes stories are told time
and time again in their newspaper articles and the
book that is being written on this expedition. It was
such a pleasure to be in their company.
10.
I will never forget my personal accomplishment of the
summit. I kept saying that the true purpose of this
trip was the mountain and not the summit. There were
so many strong men on this trip. I was the lucky one
the mountain allowed to the top. I was blessed to be
accompanied to the top by a guide who was beyond the
word strong. Ben Marshall was one of the strongest
high altitude men I have ever met. It was an honor to
stand on the summit with him. When I reached the top,
I knelt by the cross and said a prayer to my Father,
kissed the cross and blessed God for allowing me to be
there. Took pictures flying the PC banner, Memorial
flags for My Dad, Laura Evans, a flag to honor Bob
Each and Harry Pinchot who inspired me to the top, a
picture of my son and family. I then took out a blue
ribbon that Bob Each had carried in honor of my Dad
and laid it at the base of the cross and placed a rock
on the top and left it on the top of the Americas.
This was definitely a highlight in my climbing
career.
11.
Seeing everyone join together at camp 1 to walk down
to Basecamp together. By the time we left the
mountain, everyone on it knew of the "Prostate
Cancer Climb." People in Mendoza, Argentina knew
about the climb. We made it in Argentina newspapers
and on TV. The momentum that began a year ago is
growing stronger. We will continue with Prostate
Cancer Climbs. We will let you know the future as it
unfolds. We will have pictures up on the web with in a
few months and we will let you know the status of the
film and book. Please keep spreading the word of our
efforts and send people to our site so they can relive
the climb through the dispatches. We will be
collecting donations through the end of the year. We
would not have had the success we did if it weren't
for all of your well wishes, donations and prayers.
God bless and thank you so much.
Dr.
Terry Weyman
Prostate Cancer Climb, Expedition Leader
Hap Weyman Memorial Climb
www.prostatecancerclimb.com
Audio
Dispatches from Prostate Cancer Climb Team
On Route to the Summit of Mt. Aconcagua, Mendoza,
Argentina Archived
Dispatches
Update
1/11/2001:
Our journalist asked us to come up with some last
thoughts as we prepare to embark on our journey to
South America to climb Aconcagua. Thoughts. This
entire expedition started with a single thought and
grew. A thought of honoring my father by doing
something to wake men up and hopefully save a life or
two. A thought of wanting to learn more about this
disease so I can avoid succumbing to its wrath. You
see, today is the day my Dad died, 11 years ago. It
reminds me of why this expedition is happening and why
26 of us are heading to a mountain.
So
many thoughts swirl in my head as I reflect upon this
past year and a half. I have been slammed down only to
be later lifted high. I have been criticized then
later praised. I have had doors slammed in my face to
be later opened in wonder and appreciation. I have
seen men who once ran great companies, now affected by
this disease, loose the fight and confidence to step
forward and take a chance. I have seen organizations
who should be on the same page, working together to
fight a common goal, arguing over trivial matters and
egos. My thoughts are this disease is winning and we
at times are beating ourselves while it sits back and
watches.
I am
just one man, who had a vision. A vision to step up
and say "enough is enough". My parents
taught me to never give up. Failure is just the other
side of success. To make a difference you can either
talk about it or do something about it. To quote my wife's
favorite band, Bon Jovi, "I want to live
while I'm alive". That is why we are going up a
mountain, to live and celebrate life.
I
have many thoughts on this climb. As many of you know
we never received any large corporate funding or
underwriting. My family, my friends and myself funded
Eighty percent of this expedition. We believed in the
cause and wanted the news to get out and the stories
told. We were told we could never pull this off in a
year, yet we are still here and going strong. My
thought on that? AWESOME. This climb has brought my
family closer and made us stronger.
Pride
is another thought that lashes out in my brain. I am
so proud of the supporters, the friends, the team
members and the sponsors. For these people have taken
a single thought, a vision, and turned it into
reality. I know there are men out there that are
getting tested as a result of our efforts. I know
there are researchers out there that are working hard
at a cure because of the waves we are making. I have
seen friends talking to other friends about Prostate
Cancer, when a year ago it would never even have
entered their conscious mind. My Dream was to see men
bind together for a cause that is close to us, my
Vision is to see this movement grow until the disease
has been eradicated.
This
is a big mountain. We will suffer on this mountain.
Those are facts. Our suffering will be in vain if
after we come off the mountain the momentum we have
started stops. This expedition is not about reaching
the highest point in the western hemisphere (as an
athlete this is a goal). It's about getting a bunch of
guys together, to open up, to join forces, and to
share their thoughts about Prostate Cancer. I hope we
give courage to the courage less, give strength and
hope to the weak and we inspire others to carry our
torches and to continue the trek that we are
initiating.
God
Bless all of you and thank you for believing in me.
Dr.
Terry Weyman
"I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me" Phillippians 4:13
Updates:
For those in Southern Cal, we will be on the Radio
tomorrow. They are doing a phone interview with me to
help spread the word about our climb. I will be on
790am KABC at 7:05 am.
Dr.Terry Weyman
Prostate Cancer Climb, Expedition Leader
I
hope all of you have had a great new years and the
2001 is off to a great start. As some of you may have
seen, we were in the LA Times on New Years Day. They
ran a large article in several editions and the
response has been fantastic! Phones are ringing off
the hook, the website is getting massive hits and we
are getting asked to do radio interviews and speak for
different clubs across the state. The purpose of the
article was to get the word out about the climb and
make people aware of what we are doing, I think it did
that. We want to get men aware of what Prostate
Cancer is
and that there are a group of men doing something
about it. What a way to start the New Years!
Make sure you book mark either our site or www.everestnews.com
for dispatches from the mountain. They should begin
around the 17th of Jan. We will be sending messages,
thanks to Global Star, from the mountain to our
website. Hear and read first hand on how we all are
doing! God Bless you all and Thank you for your
continued support!
Dr.Terry Weyman
Prostate Cancer Climb, Expedition Leader
Background
Below:
In
early 2001, a group of men dedicated to fighting
prostate cancer will climb Mount Aconcagua, one of the
highest peaks in the world. Located in Mendoza,
Argentina, Mount Aconcagua rises 7,000 meters above
sea level and offers climbers breathtaking beauty as
well as serious climbing challenges.
Nine
climbers and 12 trekkers will scale the mountain. All
of them have been personally touched by prostate
cancer. A few are prostate cancer survivors. Many have
close friends or relatives in treatment for the
disease. Several have lost loved ones to prostate
cancer. All of them are "amateur" climbers -
and are spending this year getting ready for this
physically taxing challenge. The climb will take
almost three weeks, and will be professionally led by
SUMMITS Adventure Travel, a premier leader in the
climbing industry.
The Prostate
Cancer Climb is the inspiration of Dr.
Terry Weyman, who lost his father to prostate
cancer 10 years ago. The project is primarily a
volunteer effort, and is affiliated with the Prostate
Cancer Research Institute in order to provide the
structure, accountability and recommendations on
allocation of funding necessary for success.
Each
climber will raise money to cover their individual
costs for the climb, approximately $5,000 each. They
will also solicit pledges for the “Prostate Cancer
Climb” fund. Corporate, community and individual
pledges are also being solicited to help reach our
goal of raising $1,000,000 to help fight prostate
cancer.
This
is a low-overhead project, with the primary goal being
to raise $1 million to benefit prostate cancer
research and public education. The overall budget of
the Prostate Cancer Climb is $1.3 million. It will
take approximately $300,000 to produce the climb
(inclusive of climbers' costs) and the remaining $1
million is the amount that will be donated to research
and education about prostate cancer.
Proceeds
of the Prostate Cancer Climb will go exclusively to
funding education and research. No portion of the
proceeds will be designated for operating or
administrative expenses. Distribution of the Hap
Weyman Memorial Prostate Cancer Project Fund will be
determined by the Independent Educational Research
Funding Committee (IERFC).
| Climbers
to Scale Mt. Aconcagua to Benefit Prostate
Cancer Research and Education
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EverestNews.com
will cover this expedition. Much more in the coming
weeks. For more information http://www.prostatecancerclimb.com
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