As mentioned in my bio, my initial connection to Sole 2 Soul was to support my good friend and hiking companion Gary Linehan. I also shared some of the many characteristics that make Gary such a special person and why his story enticed me to get involved with efforts to raise awareness and funds for MPNs. If you haven’t already done so, you owe it to yourself to read Gary’s blog, as he somehow is able to put into words why he hikes and he so eloquently states why this trek with Sole 2 Soul makes sense – physically, spiritually and emotionally.

In contrast, my personal journey and involvement with Sole 2 Soul has been a bit more ambiguous and not quite as defined as Gary’s. In the weeks leading up to our training weekend in Colorado I started to question if I even belonged. What would I have to offer this team? I pondered during my four-hour flight from Boston to Denver, “Why am I here and what is my purpose?”

Shortly after my arrival in Denver, I was on an hour-and-a-half van ride up to Estes Park. As we slowly gained altitude approaching the Rockies, I simply made mention that at the current elevation of 7,000 feet, I had just eclipsed my previously highest altitude of 6,288 feet. The gentleman that I was sitting with immediately recognized that to be the height of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. He introduced himself to me as Jeff and told me he knew that altitude reference because he had summited Mt. Washington maybe 100 times. We then discussed hiking the White Mountains for a period of time. What I didn’t know at the time, but would come to learn later, was that Jeff is Dr. Jaroslav Prchal, an oncologist and a highly recognized and published researcher of bone marrow disorders, specifically chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms and diseases of the blood and bone marrow. A man who has been practicing medicine for as long as I’ve been alive and has dedicated his life to the very diseases we were here to raise awareness of. Didn’t exactly help with my feelings of inadequacy.

Not long after meeting Dr. Prchal, I would find myself sharing dinner with the rest of the Sole 2 Soul team where team members took turns explaining why they were there and what their connection was to the disease. Again, I felt a little uneasy as I really didn’t feel like I had a place at the table. So I just listened. As each team member began to tell their story, whether it was on their own diagnosis, their symptoms, their difficulties, or having lost a father, a husband. I just found myself getting completely absorbed. At one point, after a team member shared that when her husband passed away – he missed the joy being a grandfather by two months – I began to cry. It struck a nerve.

It was then clear why I was there. It wasn’t just for Gary anymore, it was for this incredible group of people who were gathered together. It was our team – those diagnosed who are fighting the fight, the researchers, those who have lost their dads, moms, husbands, wives. I was sent there to help, not just in raising funds and awareness but to help carry this team across the finish line. That is why I am here.