In April of 2015, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I am an avid hiker, and was hiking trails in my hometown of Tucson, AZ, when I noticed that my back was hurting. I went and saw an acupuncturist who helped me with the pain, but I couldn't get rid of it completely. He said I should go get an X-ray of my back. That's how I found out that I had multiple myeloma. Needless to say, it was devastating news.

I had a stem cell transplant in November of 2015. Unfortunately, the steroids that helped to keep the cancer away also deteriorated my hip, so I had to get a total hip replacement in 2017. Since then, maintenance doses of chemotherapy drugs have kept me relatively healthy and doing the things I love.

When I heard about Moving Mountains for Multiple Myeloma, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. It combines my passion for hiking with my drive to help people with multiple myeloma live longer and have a better quality of life. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to hike seven peaks in Colorado and raise funds for multiple myeloma research!