We are one week out from flying to Iceland in preparation for our hike! I am so ready to be reunited with my teammates. Most of us were able to make the training hike back in June, and we bonded so well as a group. We’ve had several team calls and now have a very active GroupMe chat going, and it only makes me more excited for this adventure. I can’t wait to see them so soon.

I signed up for this hike in honor of my mom. This trek will be challenging, and I know her determination and her fighting spirit will spur me on throughout the trip. I know this is something my mom would want to do, but physically it would be too much. I am grateful to be hiking on behalf of her and so many others who are fighting this disease.

I’m making last-minute orders for gear and gathering what I’ve already got. I’m the type of person who starts packing for a trip a few weeks out, and Iceland is no exception. It has been suggested that we bring along snacks for the trail to help keep us motivated between meals. I’m trying to decide what to take!

Ultimately, I am looking forward to this experience for so many reasons. The traveler in me is excited for the adventure and seeing new sights and wonders in a country I’ve never been to but have always wanted to visit.

But there is a bigger piece to this picture: I am looking forward to a cure. For my mom, for my teammates, for the family members and patients of my teammates, for the thousands of others battling this cancer.

Our group is made up of doctors, patients, caregivers and family members. We are a group of people with a connection to multiple myeloma who have become a family. It’s a reminder that no matter who we are or where we’ve come from---we have a common goal of eradicating multiple myeloma. With the support of our friends and family, we are helping the MMRF raise the necessary funds to do that.

Now let’s go hike Iceland!