Fall / Winter 2023 | Community 19
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for Parkinson ’ s Research
Most people only dream of standing in the oxygen-light air at 19,341 feet on the top of Africa ’ s highest free-standing mountain . Yet nine Team Fox climbers did just that in August , reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for PD .
The event assembled a core group of intrepid athletes and Team Fox members from around the U . S . and included people living with PD and others climbing to support a loved one with the disease . Equipped with snacks , sentimental photos , Sinemet and sunscreen in their packs , the climbers made the eight-day guided trek via the Lemosho Route , where they camped along the way and summited Uhuru Peak to watch the sunrise .
Their friends and supporters helped them raise more than $ 150,000 for urgently needed research for therapeutics and treatments for Parkinson ’ s , with 100 percent of the funds raised going directly to research .
Ahead of their climb , some of the climbers explained why they committed to the physical , mental and spiritual experience with Team Fox :
Team Fox Mount Kilimanjaro climbers , left to right : Connie Qian , New York , New York ; Betty Frances Thomason , Greenville , South Carolina ; Kristen Gillan , Lake Mary , Florida ; Alex DiLalla , Ann Arbor , Michigan ; Justin Fields , Knoxville , Tennessee ; Mark Kohus , Union , Kentucky ; Lucretia Pintacuda , Asheville , North Carolina ; Laura Aldrich , Washington , Delaware ; and Joanne Simmons , Jersey City , New Jersey .
“ I wanted a way to come out publicly about my PD diagnosis and thought this would be a good way . I want to inspire those with and without PD to take charge of their life .”
— Lucretia Pintacuda , 67 , Asheville , North Carolina
“ It was difficult for myself to hear the news [ when I was diagnosed ]. I want to help build a world where no one has to get the news they have Parkinson ’ s .”
— Justin Fields , 38 , Knoxville , Tennessee