CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN; BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS CONQUER MUCH MORE THAN DISEASE.Byline: BRETT PAULY Sometimes we're given new direction And in that moment, come alive To rediscover Re`dis`cov´er v. t. 1. To discover again. Verb 1. rediscover - discover again; "I rediscovered the books that I enjoyed as a child" what our hearts say To find a mountain we will climb - ``A Mountain We Will Climb'' A tribute to Laura Evans of Expedition Inspiration by songwriter Deborah Liv Johnson Talk to anyone who has beaten breast cancer and you'll likely find it made that person healthier. It's the irony of a life-threatening illness. ``Any survivor will tell you it's the worst thing and the best thing,'' said Karyn Blackmore-Hagy, 35, of Westlake Village, who was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. ``It's a wake-up call. Cancer can definitely improve somebody's life.'' Better diets. Stronger workout regimens. And the ability to seize opportunity before it slips away. Blackmore-Hagy recognized her opportunity following cancer treatment at USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , where she heard an adventurer speak during a seminar. The woman described how she and a team of 16 other breast-cancer survivors scaled the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere Western Hemisphere Part of Earth comprising North and South America and the surrounding waters. Longitudes 20° W and 160° E are often considered its boundaries. - Argentina's 22,841-foot Mount Aconcagua. ``What a great victory to reach the summit of this mountain,'' Blackmore-Hagy thought. ``It seemed to be a symbol of their lives.'' Indeed, conquering cancer and conquering a mountain have significant parallels, as Blackmore-Hagy learned firsthand in August, when she crested Mount Whitney - at 14,494 feet, the tallest point in the contiguous United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. - with a team lead by the USC speaker. ``What occurred to me is had I not had this disease and survived it, I would never have had this opportunity to be sitting on the top of this incredible mountain looking at this incredible scenery,'' said the mother of two boys who sells advertising. ``Before, I might have said, `Ah, forget it.''' Using the outdoors as a means to speed the physical and psychological recovery from breast cancer treatment This article or section recently underwent a major revision or rewrite and needs further review. You can help! The mainstay of breast cancer treatment is surgery when the tumor is localized, with possible adjuvant hormonal therapy (with tamoxifen or an aromatase - and to bring about awareness and research funding Research funding is a term generally covering any funding for scientific research, in the areas of both "hard" science and technology and social science. The term often connotes funding obtained through a competitive process, in which potential research projects are evaluated and for the disease - is the premise of two national organizations, Expedition Inspiration and Casting for Recovery. While several community groups stage single-day outdoor events and a range of athletic races are held to raise funds for cancer cures, Expedition Inspiration and Casting for Recovery immerse im·merse tr.v. im·mersed, im·mers·ing, im·mers·es 1. To cover completely in a liquid; submerge. 2. To baptize by submerging in water. 3. participants in outings that cover several days. The experience can be a turning point in the their ``post-diagnosis'' lives. ``People feel stronger. They feel that the little problems aren't so important. It really empowers them and makes them understand that nothing is beyond their grasp,'' said Laura Evans, founder and president of Ketchum, Idaho-based Expedition Inspiration. ``They realize that if they can climb to the top of this mountain - something they weren't sure they could do or maybe thought they couldn't do - they can achieve any goal if they put their hearts into it.'' Brenda Himelfarb, a freelance writer and poet from Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). who had a lumpectomy Lumpectomy Definition A lumpectomy is a type of surgery used to treat breast cancer. It is considered "breast-conserving" surgery because in a lumpectomy, only the malignant tumor and a surrounding margin of normal breast tissue are and radiation treatment for breast cancer in 1996, agreed. Beating cancer was the 58-year-old four-time grandmother's mountain. ``You have a choice. You can wallow wallow mud bath frequented by pigs, elephants, red deer, hippopotami as a cooling aid. and talk about cancer and be afraid that you're going to get it again,'' said Himelfarb, who attempted Whitney with Evans but was forced to turn around at 12,500 feet after getting altitude sickness altitude sickness: see decompression sickness. altitude sickness or mountain sickness Acute reaction to a change from low altitudes to altitudes above 8,000 ft (2,400 m). . ``Or you can move on and say, `You know, if I can conquer this, boy, I can do anything,' and that's basically my outlook.'' Evans, a former fashion designer, thought she might not climb after she overcame the 15 percent chance of survival doctors gave her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990. But she didn't stop hoping during her two-month hospital stay. ``Every single night I visualized my fists in the air, having climbed one of the highest mountains The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height above sea level, all of which are located in Asia. Only those summits are included that, by an objective measure, may be considered individual mountains as opposed to subsidiary peaks. in the world, and that dream kept me going,'' she explained. Since then she has led breast cancer survivors Cancer survivors are those individuals with cancer of any type, current or past, who are still living. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) pioneered the definition of survivor as from the time of diagnosis and for the balance of life, a person diagnosed with - and many others sympathetic to the cause - on five climbs and 14 day-long trips, most recently a hike through Paramount Ranch near Agoura Hills that attracted more than 800 participants. The climb up Aconcagua alone raised $2 million for breast cancer research and earned Evans and her team a trip to the White House. ``We do not raise money to climb; we climb to raise money,'' she said. At about the same time on the other side of the country, Gwenn Perkins of Manchester, Vt., was starting another nonprofit grassroots group with a tiny staff, Casting for Recovery, to provide fly-fishing opportunities for breast cancer survivors. ``I know why I fly-fish. I fly-fish because it is very relaxing and peaceful and it gets my mind off things that are bothering me,'' said Perkins, who has not had cancer but developed her program after discovering that a doctor prescribed fly-fishing as therapy for a breast cancer patient. ``I thought that if for only a moment these women could get away from their diagnosis that it would be a wonderful thing.'' Fueled by grants and donations, the program offers retreats at no charge ``to women who spent so much money on treatment they aren't well-off,'' said Perkins, a freelance fishing-school instructor whose office is her bedroom. Invitations are extended at the suggestion of doctors, hospitals and support groups. Outside organizations interested in conducting Casting for Recovery retreats must follow the casting methods and psycho-social and nutritional guidelines mandated by operating packets the group provides at no cost. Since 1995, 14 retreats have produced 100 graduates; the first West Coast outing is slated for May in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . For Maplewood, N.J., graduate Brigitta Neu, Casting for Recovery offered a rare camaraderie. ``There were tears. Nobody minded, they just passed another tissue. But there was also laughter, and laughter is the best medicine,'' said Neu, who was given a 20 percent survival rate when diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. In September, while fly-fishing for the first time, she landed the first fish of a Casting for Recovery excursion in Pennsylvania. ``You know you have the same fears, the same understanding,'' Neu explained. ``To have someone to lean on who has gone through the same thing, feeling empathy, your strength is reinforced.'' From a medical standpoint, such bonding is critical, said Dr. Benita Walton, a plastic surgeon plastic surgeon A surgeon specialized in reconstruction or cosmetic enhancement of various body regions, most commonly the face–nose, chin, and cheeks, breasts and buttocks; PSs remove fat deposits through liposuction; PSs reduce scarring or disfigurement specializing in breast reconstruction Breast Reconstruction Definition Breast reconstruction is a series of surgical procedures performed to recreate a breast. Reconstructions are commonly done after one or both breasts are removed as a treatment for breast cancer. in Janesville, Wis., who co-founded Casting for Recovery. ``The medical treatment is only a start. Part of the healing process is talking about it. It's a basis for emotional growth,'' said Walton. ``At home, others try to avoid using the big `C' word; they tiptoe around it. It's uncomfortable. You don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what to say,'' she said. ``But being in one of these groups, the subject is right there. They really hash it out, like, `I haven't stood in front of the mirror or in front of my husband, partly because I don't like the way I look and I don't think my husband will like the way I look.' ``It allows women to share a pretty devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. experience with women who have been through the same thing. There is a certain amount of patience and respect.'' And, physically, the motion of fly-casting provides mobility to the upper extremities that are compromised by cancer treatment, in a setting that is more stimulating than a physical therapist's office. ``Besides,'' Walton said, ``these women are sick of going to the hospital.'' Walton has her own metaphor on the subject of finding a cure for cancer, as it relates to angling: ``To fish is to hope. You have to believe that it is out there and that you can catch it.'' For more information of to make contributions, call Expedition Inspiration, (208) 726-6456, or Casting for Recovery, (888) 553-3500. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Breast cancer survivor Karyn Blackmore-Hagy of Westlake Village, pictured on the Mount Whitney Trail The Mount Whitney Trail is a trail that ascends Mount Whitney. It starts at Whitney Portal at 8,360' (2,548 m), 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Lone Pine, California. The hike is about 22 miles (35.4 km) round trip with an elevation gain of over 6,100 ft (1,859 m). , summited the 14,494-foot peak in August. Rick Hagy/Special to the Daily News (2--Color) Claudia Berryman-Shafer, from bottom, Nancy Knoble and Expedition Inspiration founder Laura Evans, all survivors of breast cancer, conquered Argentina's 22,841-foot Mount Aconcagua in February 1995. Special to the Daily News (3--Color) Hiking has helped Pacific Palisades' Brenda Himelfarb forget about her cancer since she was treated in 1996. Michael Owen
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