In honor of my mother, Ella Kammerer Hall, I will be participating in the 22nd Annual Big Climb for Leukemia on March 16. The event is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s most challenging event.

Last March, over 4,200 people climbed the stairs at the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle, the state’s tallest skyscraper, and raised over $700,000.

My mother died of Lymphoma in 1975, when she was just 53. Since I will turn 53 this year, I am struck by just how young she was when we lost her.

So I'll take great pride in pushing myself physically in her honor and to help others. The 69-flight Big Climb course includes 1,311 steps, 19 steps per flight and 788 feet of vertical elevation. I fully intend to complete every step.

Please consider supporting me as I climb all those stairs by making a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Thank you!