Sept 23, 2009

As you read this, I am currently on a plane to Africa to get ready for the arrival of our 24 Kilimanjaro teammates. One year ago 62 Love Hope Strength team members sat in a small little restaurant in Peru as I announced that we were going to answer the call for support in East Africa. I have several friends who have been battling cancer in Kenya and it was high time that we brought them a little love hope and strength, little did we know how many of you would answer the call with us. We had just completed our second major global trek and brought with us 400 prayer flags baring the names of loved ones who had been touched by cancer. These flags are currently enroute to Everest Base Camp where they will be hung until they disappear in the wind. So many survivors, fighters and those whom we had lost including one of our very own teammates. We returned back to our 7 respective countries and went about our lives, a bit richer for having known that we would forever leave our mark in Peru by funding the very first mobile cancer unit which is currently being outfitted and prepared to treat 30,000 patients a year.

We spent the last 12 months, with the support of Visa, DKMS, and Ralph Schomp Auto, traveling around the United States conducting nearly 70 bone marrow drives to locate matches for patients in need of life saving donors. We registered roughly 3,000 people to the registry and have already located 15 matches. The bulk of these donors came from the infamous Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado where we conducted drives at nearly every concert and ‘film on the rocks’. Throughout the year we have been gathering the names of your loved ones for our flags that we have lovingly packed into our rucksacks and will carry on our backs (or maybe they will carry us) to Uhuru (Swahili for ‘freedom’), the 19,361 foot peak of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. One of the very last flags to be signed was this past Saturday. The incredibly talented (and handsome) Jason Mraz took time before his show at Red Rocks to add the name of his favorite Aunt Sharon who is undergoing chemo for lung and lymphatic cancer. Sharon is just one of the thousands of amazing people that we are honored to carry with us. Thank you for sending us on our way, please take a moment to donate to the cause and help us bring cancer care to East Africa. Enjoy a few words from Jason in the video below.

The next few days I will spend with Nick Hiel from Backpacker Magazine as we visit with friends and the local cancer center to learn more about the needs in East Africa. The rest of our team arrives September 27. Please check back for daily updates from this point forward.

Truly
Shannon Foley
Somewhere over the Atlantic
September 23, 2009

September 25th, 2009

Arrived safe and sound and quite a bit jet lagged after 26 hours of travel but had to the hit the ground running!! Nick and I spent the day in Kenya busying ourselves with last minute preparations. Ok, I was busy with last minute preparation and poor Nick had to be dragged around with me. But we had a fantastic day visiting a few of my old stomping grounds before heading to The Agha Khan Hospital to learn about the new cancer center/teaching facility that is being built. It is the first of its kind, state of the art full service cancer center in sub-saharan Africa and one of the projects that is in need of financial support. After a few hours discussing where funds are needed most and hearing the recurring theme of education as the top priority, we were given a tour of the new facility under development. As with Nepal and Peru, education and early detection are the key to success in the cancer world. It was amazing to see the first class facility that is being developed. Our funds are needed to grant the poor and underprivileged access to this care. It is one of three projects that are being reviewed by the Love Hope Strength board.

The need is so overwhelming is feels like we are throwing a tiny pebble in a very large pond but as we all know, the ripples of even the smallest stone can carry on for miles.

Shannon Foley

 

September 26th, 2009

Quick report from the bush! Julie Bowlen, Nick Heil and I have arrived in camp and it is beyond amazing. We are flanked by views of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. Feels like it is already calling us but we need to stay put in this camp for a few days at just over 6,200 feet according to our Suunto altimeter watches. It will greatly increase our chances of success on the mountain the more that we stay at altitude. Tonight we have 9 more teammates arriving and the rest will trickle in tomorrow. I cannot wait til we are all together!! We will spend the next few days hiking around Mount Meru and avoiding buffalo with an armed guard as our guides. Nothing like adding a little adrenaline to the training!!

Will be in full swing with everyone tomorrow and the real reports begin!

Shannon Foley, Julie Bowlen, Nick Heil
Arusha National Park, Tanzania
6,200 feet (or 100 feet less if you believe Julies altimeter!)
September 26, 2009

 

September 27, 2009

Jambo (Hello) from Tanzania, Africa. I’m Christine Alan. We had our first official day at an amazing tented campsite in the African bush, as we acclimatize in preparation of our trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The people of Africa have welcomed us with wide-open arms; a most gracious hospitality. 15 of us join me in Arusha National Park with 10 more team members en route. We have traveled from every corner of America, Australia, Wales and the UK. Today, amongst the incredible wildlife of east Africa, we spent the day catching up with old friends and bonding with many new friends. Emotions are at a peak, as we are all tied together through the most unforgiving of diseases; cancer. I met Kay, who lost her Mom to cancer. Her Mom & I were both diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2006. Yet I am here and Kay’s precious Mom is not. Why is cancer so unfair? Why does it steal so many good people from those that love them so much? I stand in awe and honor of my fellow trekkers. Today I also met Kelly, who beat stage III colon cancer; and so many other beautiful and courageous souls. I am honored to be a part of this amazing foundation. Tonight we stood at over 6,000 feet with the ice caps of Kilimanjaro beckoning us with the sweet sounds of Brien’s music in perfect harmony. We snag, we danced, we toasted, we cried. I feel so blessed to be alive. I feel so blessed to carry so many loved ones on my prayers flags. I feel so blessed to be able to give back; such gratitude to climb back from cancer. With Love, Hope, and Strength to all…Asante, thank you in Swahili, for allowing us…for supporting us…on this most sacred journey.

Christine Alan
Arusha National Park, Tanzania
6,202 feet
September 27, 2009

 

Click on the yellow flags to see where the team is today!