Category: Random Musings

Felix, thank you for fixing up the site to keep away the spammers. Also, thank you for sponsoring Josh! I received the check today. Tori, I really like the new picture gallery. After the climb-a-thon, I had to rest up for a few days! I am now in the process of wrapping up details for…

Update on the Climb-a-thon: Due to scoring miscalculations, we have now determined that Joshua Levin,11, was the climber who achieved the most vertical feet in the Mt. Everest Challenge (4182′) Congratulations, Josh! Greg Schaffer,62, the second highest fund-raiser and oldest climber in the event, (he climbed 3400′)is actually setting routes for Twisters, and is no…

Felix, I really appreciate your work on the website, and sponsoring Joshua! I am looking forward to posting pictures again. Thanks to our sponsors, hard-working climbers and volunteers, and the warm-hearted climbing community, the Mount Everest Challenge 2005 was a great success. The 34 climbers lifted my spirits 42,180 feet. That’s the height of Mt.…

I got an e-mail from a young climber friend traveling in South America. On her trip she has been ill several times, and wrote to me her thoughts about mortality. It was a surprising letter coming from someone so young. Looking back, I know I never thought about these things until I was diagnosed with…

Mari, thanks for stopping by the site! I hope to see you this Sunday. Things have been really busy for me. I have been busy juggling my classes, organizing the climb-a-thon, and climbing. It has been a lot to handle, but I am really looking forward to the event on Sunday. On Nov. 19th, I…

I want to share with you a very insightful card given to me by Joshua Levin on my transplant birthday. Though Joshua is only 11 years old, he is able to understand me in a unique way. I was really touched. I remember being 11 years old and wanting my adult friends to tell me…

Denise, thank you for your lovely note! It has been quite a year. One of my most vivid memories was waking up in the ICU with new lungs, waving to all the doctors and nurses, and furiously writing notes to my friends, excited to be alive. This was followed by a difficult two-week hospital stay…

Here is an announcement about the Dec. 4th Climb-a-thon, a very important community fund-raiser. It is a celebration of my first year of life after the transplant and the main source of raising the thousands of dollars in medical funds I will need for next year. Plus, it will be lots of fun and you…

It has been a tough week. I have had a hard time sleeping and making it to morning classes. Tuesday, I even threw up in the car after class and spent the rest of the day resting in bed. It was unpleasant to think of all the computer lab homework I am getting behind on…

Yesterday, I attended Planet Granite’s “Cranberry Crank” climbing competition and the “Dyno for Dollars” benefit. It was wonderful to be part of the community. I didn’t feel strong enough to compete, so I volunteered to sell cookies at the youth team bake sale instead. We broke $100 as the awards ceremony finished up. Climbing competitions…