Dave's Hike For a Cancer Cure Web Page!

Dear Friends:

Thank you all for your support of my “Hike for Discovery” project. So many people say they always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, and I’ve actually been blessed to actually do it. If you’d like to see some great Photos, visit here:

View Grand Canyon Photos

My experience hiking into the Canyon on the Grandview trail was incredible. We arrived later than the group as we lingered in Sedona (another beautiful place by the way.. see photos). Since we were late, I never went on a preview hike to the rim of the canyon. So my very first time seeing -- yes, first time in my whole life! -- was at 4:30 AM the day of the hike....with my heavy backpack on and camera ready, the majesty of this incredible site with the sun just coming up over the opposite site was an experience I'll never forget. See Photo Album for Sunrise!

The emotion, excitement and anticipation of heading down into the canyon for 10+ hours, doing it with a great group of people, keeping our honored heroes Jenny, Elijah, and Ricky in my heart, (See Photos of heroes here ) and knowing the impact it will make on so many lives with the fund raising we all had done just took me away. I wept with tears of joy. This emotional state continued for the whole day, and it sustained me as we kept going and at every single turn, up down, left right (and there were many!).... a new vista, a new view, an new emotional gasp sustained me through the hike.

We had extremely capable guides Travis and Brian, who I think were careful in not showing us just how far we would go from the top of the trail. Looking back on it, after we got back, I would have said I could NEVER have hiked so far. It looked like a world away.

My memory of going down was that it was somewhat leisurely, fun, relaxing, taking pictures and taking in incredible views at every turn.... while this nagging thought in the back of my mind was that "we are going to have to come back UP this way... yikes" As we traversed further down, we could see the incredible heights from which we came, and to which we would have to return. I was assured by the guides and the fellow hikers that we "Should be able to make it", unlike the 5 or 6 people each year who are cited in the "Death in the Canyon" book. Besides, unlike those in Death in the Canyon, we were smart enough to bring a hearty and hot turkey sandwich to fuel us out of there, no problem.

The half-way point, was way out on the end of this incredible peak, with a 360 degree view of the canyon, and the Colorado river. Amazing. We fueled up and had some fun, with several encouraging excerpts from "Death in the Canyon" from our motivating guides.

Going back up was incredibly difficult. We traversed 5500 feet of “vertical”, so the climb back out took about every ounce of energy out of me. But the views, the team and the purpose of the whole thing by some miracle got me out of there, with a few ounces of water left. (ok, a fellow hiker had to give me some because I ran out. Thanks Sandy for saving my life! ).

Travis, one of the guides, asked us each what our thoughts were, what we liked about it, was it what we expected? My reactions were that it was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Pictures cannot and will never do justice to majesty of that place. The difficulty of the trail was way more than I expected too. The distance we traveled was way more than I could have imagined.

It was a day of superlatives, of wonder, of exceeding expectations in so many ways. It was a day that I will never forget and one of the greatest days of my life. I thank you all my supporters, my team, and the LLS (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) staff and Guides for making my life that much richer. God bless you all.

Another thing that struck me while I was on the hike was just how much Cancer can impact our lives, but do you know that it can impact it positively? How many times do you hear about how families reunite, relationships heal, and communities rally behind someone who is going through treatment? My brother Ricky was one of the “Heroes” that I was honoring, along with my business partner Jenny Runkel, and the young 8-year old boy Elijah who was currently going through treatment.

Ricky, before he learned of his Leukemia, was in his late twenties, and had been trying a few different jobs, doing some restaurant work and bartender work, and had been taking some college courses, but still really searching for direction in his life. When he was stricken with Leukemia at 29, he was bound and determined to fight it, and after a tough battle drove it into remission. The “wake up call” of this life-threatening disease then drove him to pursue his passion, his love, what he always wanted to do, but he had felted limited or trapped. With the support of his wife Maria, he went back to school, and completed a degree in Forestry, so that he could make his life’s work what he loved—being in the outdoors. He then got a job as a fishing and nature guide for the State Parks in New York. He was happier than he had ever been, having beaten this difficult disease, and that difficult battle behind him, pursuing his life dream. Sadly, Ricky’s Leukemia returned, and took him from this earth just before his 33rd birthday. But, his last years may have been his happiest, and have created a memory for all of us to remember him by, as a person who had pursued his dream, and was living it every day. Whenever we are outdoors, near the lakes or streams, in the forest, or watching a sunset or a rainbow after a new rain, we think of Ricky. I felt him there with me as I hiked the Grand Canyon, as if I had my own trained guide who wanted to share his great love of nature and the great outdoors with me. He guided me in and out of that Canyon like no other guide could. I hope that all of us can go after our dreams like Ricky did, but not need a wake up call to do it. Thank you all for all of your help on this effort. The donations were extremely generous, (you can still make a gift--just click on the left, and we'll still match it 100%!) and your encouragement and support carried me in and out of the canyon for a fantastic accomplishment. God bless you all.

Here's my original post of what this is all about: ==========================================================

Dear Friends:

I’d like you to meet three very special people: Jenny Runkel, Elijah Cox, and Ricky Markert. I bet you know people just like them in your own life. (View photos of these special people here.)

Jenny Runkel is my business partner’s wife. She’s beautiful, smart and 33 years old. A mother and a teacher of high school kids (including my son David, now in college), she was active in tennis and other activities, and seemingly had everything going for her—happiness, great kids, and a fulfilling career. She was a model of health, until they found a cantaloupe-sized lump in her chest. We were all shocked to find out that she had lymphoma—cancer of the lymph nodes—the kind that can spread through your body quickly and take you out. By the grace of God, the cantaloupe was pressing against her lung, creating pneumonia-like symptoms, which got her to the doctor. Into her life came some 18 months of intensive chemotherapy, radiation, and all that goes with it, including losing her hair (she looked pretty good bald, actually). She, her family, and all of us who knew her endured the emotional trauma of the process, which included dealing with her kids asking, “Are you going to die, mommy?” Cancer is an extremely disruptive visitor to our lives. Jenny’s cancer interrupted her work, her family and even my own business as my partner attended chemo and medical sessions, doubled up many times on kid duty, and had to cope with the potential loss of his wife. By God’s grace, a supportive network, and miraculous medical breakthroughs, Jenny is now cancer-free. Learn more about Jenny and her journey at www.jennyrunkel.com (Get a full box of tissues, we’ve been told by publishers and literary agents that her story is book-worthy.). We’re glad you’re still with us Jenny.

The second very special person is Elijah Cox. Elijah is 7 years old, and he is in the middle of treatment for another form of blood cancer, leukemia. If we saw a great attitude from Jenny, then we saw Elijah master this at a very early age. What is it about hardship that makes us stronger? I was introduced to Elijah through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Atlanta. He is my Honored Hero, the one who is serving as an inspiration to me and to others who are undertaking the difficult process of raising awareness for these horrible diseases. We are watching Elijah and his family closely, as he hopefully gets through the process he’s going through. I’ll keep you posted, and in the meantime, keep him in your prayers, and consider helping Elijah and others like him (see below).

The third person I’d like you to meet is Ricky Markert , my brother. He too was in his early 30’s and married, seeming to have his whole life ahead of him, when on a trip to Florida (probably seeking out a Jimmy Buffet concert) he was overcome with fatigue. He visited a hospital there, and they found him to have advanced stages of leukemia. Motivated to fight it, Ricky went through the typical chemo and radiation cycles, lost his hair, and after almost two years, was considered “cured”. The whole Markert family fondly remembers celebrating with him back in the summer of ’99, as this was our last time together. The leukemia returned. A debilitating and ineffective second series of chemotherapy ultimately took Ricky from this world in his 33rd year, just before his birthday. What is it about the age of 33?

So why am I telling you about Jenny, Elijah and Ricky? Because you can make a real difference in their lives and the lives of people like them. Watching what happened to Ricky, seeing the very different outcome that happened to Jenny, and praying over the process with Elijah provides me with the knowledge that the often fatal diseases of blood cancer really can be overcome. With research into cures and treatment breakthroughs, survival rates of some types of blood cancers have moved from the 10-20% range, up to the 70-80% range (“five-year” survival rates, as these things are tracked) , and these advances are happening at an amazing rate. There is a possibility that the outcome for my brother might have been different if he were being treated today. The ultimate outcome for Elijah is unknown, but we hope that it is survival, and a cure. The chances of these desired outcomes will be higher if we can get support from you.

To bring awareness to these issues, I am participating in a fundraiser called “Hike For Discovery” (discovery of a cure), sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This organization effectively channels millions of dollars toward researching a cure for blood cancers, which has resulted in this marked improvement in survival rates. This June 2nd, I will hike 13 miles into the Grand Canyon in order to raise awareness for blood cancers. Each Saturday morning since January of this year, I’ve been training for this strenuous and difficult hike, by climbing local mountain trails nearby for 6-8 hours, and training each day for several hours to prepare for the big hike into the canyon. View photos from some of my group training hikes.

This “hard work” for me pales in comparison to what people with blood cancer have to work through, so those folks motivate me to carry on. I wear a hospital bracelet with the names of Ricky, Elijah and Jenny to provide inspiration for me to keep going. See my hospital bracelet on my hike photos page.

These three people are in my circle, but look in your own email box, at work, at school, at church, perhaps in your own family. I am certain you have cancer in your circle. In my bible study group, my friend Mike Maltby’s sister Kim lost a difficult battle with cancer. My other business partner Fritz lost his sister-in-law after a four-year battle. Our friends from our Marriage community the Donohue’s, lost their 19-year old son after a multi-year battle. I bet you have folks in your own circle. Everyone does, it’s rampant. But there is tremendous progress being made.

The real purpose behind this effort (along with getting this decrepit old 40-year old body into shape again) is to raise awareness, and lots of money for the “cure”. I’m asking for your sponsorship support. Will you make a gift to uphold the result we saw with Jenny, impact the outcome for Elijah, and hopefully, create a different result for folks like Ricky? Please, right now, make a check payable to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the amount of $1,000, $500, $250, or an amount that is right for you.

To assure you that any gift you make will go directly to fund and find a cure, I am personally matching your gift with an equal gift amount. This will double the effectiveness of your gift, and assure that 100% of your dollars will go directly to a cure, and will not be diluted by any administrative overhead, fundraising costs, or the costs of the trip to the Grand Canyon (this is all covered by me). I ask you to challenge me physically to continue to train and accomplish this difficult hike to honor these three special people, and the many thousands of others who struggle with blood cancers every day. I also ask you to challenge me financially by making a generous gift to LLS that I can match, so that we can together impact the lives of people like Elijah, and create the outcome that Jenny experienced, and not the outcome that Ricky did.

You can make a donation with a credit card online. Just click "Donate Now" after selecting an amount on the left. Or mail your check right now to Dave Markert c/o ScreamFree/ 2180 Satellite Blvd/ Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30097. Your gift will be matched 100%, and then forwarded to LLS to continue the great research and patient care they provide each day. Please do it now.

Warmest regards, Dave

View photos from the group training session hikes (gorgeous mountain views!): Group Hike Photos.

View our Honored Hero's Photos (Jenny, Elijah, and Ricky): View Honored Hero Photos