Everything has a purpose

About a year and a half ago at the end of a clinic visit a patient of mine - seems almost odd to say that; she and her husband seem like friends, we have walked this PAH path together for so long - gave me an unusual gift. At first sight this seemed to be a good sized rock with a cut and polished face, like an agate. It turns out that this rather heavy object is in fact Coprolite, or fossilized dinosaur dung. I hoped this was not a comment on my clinical acumen! Knowing the good and jovial nature of these refreshing folks, I thanked them for this rare object and put it in my office, where it has sat ever since. Now I have found its true purpose! Hiking up and down the 21 stories of the Gonda building for an hour after work last night, I carried a water bottle in one hand and my precious dung in the other. It made quite an effective hand weight. After carrying it up and down the stairs, I felt somewhat like the object in hand, looked somewhat like the object in hand, and was tempted to utter a four letter description derived from the object in hand, but did not - Like Jimmy Carter, I have only sinned in my heart. The picture at right shows the aftermath of repetitive dung carrying. Little did you know, my jokester friends, that your dinosaur dung would help to propel me up Kilimanjaro and further the fight to cure PAH!

Route to the Top of a Continent

The route we chose is somewhat of a "road less traveled." It is not commonly traveled and takes a longer to reach the summit. The popular routes are 3-4 days, and 60% of people fail to reach the summit, largely due to altitude sickness. The Shira route, although more challenging, will afford us better altitude acclimatisation and therefore better odds at reaching the summit.

First we fly from the states to Amsterdam, and from there to Tanzania--24hours of great flight service... We have one day to explore the countryside before beginning our big adventure.

Approaching the mountain from the West, we start our journey by 4x4 through the jungle to reach the Shira Plateau where our trek begins. For 6 days we will hike and scramble, acclimating all the while. Essentially, we take "2 steps forward, one step back"--ascending higher during the day, then descending somewhat to camp at night, which is crucial for our bodies to adjust to the altitude. As we go higher, the temperature becomes arctic, and oxygen becomes more scarce.

On the seventh day, we hike and climb on very rugged terrain for 15 hours to reach the summit!

It then takes 2 days to get off the mountain, both due to shorter exit route and lack of need to adjust to altitude during the descent.

When we are off the mountain, i imagine we will take that desperately needed shower, eat, and catch our zzz's on a bed!

Training with my son Evan, the taskmaster

As I train for this climb, more so than my last, I continue to recognize how little the general public knows about this deadly disease. This one fact continues to fuel my enthusiasm to make this endevour a success. I truly appreciate all of those who have contributed thus far to our efforts. I hope that many more of our collegues and friends, as well as all those who stumble accross this site, will open up their hearts and wallets to help us combat this disease.

Many people ask me why I climb. My answer is simply, because I can. I know I can push my body and it will respond. This is not a luxury our patients have, so I am determined to climb for them. As we ascend this incredible mountain we will bring with us the determination, fortitude and plight of the thousands of patients with PH with us. We will make sure their call is heard.

Quiet places to roam

Cross-country skiing in Quarry Hill Park was a lovely way to get in a little more exercise this weekend as we approach 6 weeks to Kilimanjaro. Despite cold weather, there is nothing like a clear blue sky and a well groomed trail to make a winter day refreshingly beautiful and relaxing. May all of you find places of peace, beauty and serenity this week. Nurture for the spirit!

Gaining Momentum

It is exhilarating, to see so many people come together for a common cause. With all the support of friends, colleagues, and patients, we are really beginning to gain momentum in this effort. Our Pittsburgh PH Support Group is hosting a Unity Walk on Jan 29. Many are donating gift baskets to raffle prior to the event. Even my son's daycare offered to have the kids make African safari artwork to decorate the Unity walk location! The daycare also is making cookbooks to sell as a fundraiser. Colleagues are having "Jeans and Purple Shirt Day" to raise money, and some are even considering an informal "Mini-Kilimanjaro contest" involving an attempt up the 18 floors at our hospital! One friend and colleague
made a Kilimanjaro Facebook acct to keep everyone participating in the events up-to-date.
Dr. Benza and I were even interviewed by a few local newspapers. Here's one article: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_661214.html

I am humbled by the outpouring of excitement and support. It is both staggering and inspiring--to see so many people reach out with their precious time and generous effort, to rally around the common cause of Path To A Cure. It makes my eyes leak... I am so fortunate to be witness to the inherent good being exhibited.

That Slushy Stuff

Chestnuts roasting? Yule log? Not I this Christmas. I went to NYC to visit my sister. So after a day of exploring the typical Manhattan tourist sites, I went to Pound Ridge Reservation in NY (with less than 2 months left, I can't miss a single weekend of hiking...even over the holidays).

When the weatherman uses the phrase "wintry mix," I usually turn into a pumpkin and proclaim to not know how to drive. Now I find myself tromping through the slushy stuff for hours on end. It was a good test of the gear... It rained and was 39 degrees at Pound Ridge, but I stayed dry. It was also a good mini-test of mental fortitude. The rain essentially disintegrated the paper map. When I got lost, I had the mental image of the map etched in my head, along with some practice with a compass, to get me back on track. I guess I surprised myself. Ultimately, trusting your logic, intuition, and your fellow hikers/climbers are essential to success.

Isn't that what our patients do? They trust us to hold the ropes, and we work together in partnership with them to get to our destination.

New Year Reflections

This week the full moon lit up my bedroom at 3:45 am as I restlessly lay awake contemplating the past year, Kilimanjaro and the year ahead. I looked at the moon through my little telescope and decided to see if I could take a decent picture of it. This involved finding my camera, trying to line up the lens with the telescope, getting the camera settings right and a bit of fiddling around. Ultimately I produced a decent image and went back to my musings.

It is the time of year for reflections and resolutions. I thought of the power of the individual to effect change, and about a major donation to our Kilimanjaro PHA fundraiser by the brother of a very special person with PAH. What a powerful expression of love! Sometimes when I become concerned about the overall direction of our world, all it takes is an individual act of love, kindness or generosity to remind me of the beauty and strength of the human spirit. Kindness and generosity are contagious. Remember Pass It Forward ? That is the spirit that will carry us through the next decade better than the last. Be kind. Be tolerant. Respect differences. Make a difference. Make your corner of the world a better place, with big or small everyday acts of kindness toward those around you. Blessings be upon you and those around you for the year ahead.