Fight Ovarian Cancer

Climb Mt. Kilimanjao to help fight Ovarian Cancer

(PRWEB) January 25, 2006 -- Adventures Within Reach is currently working with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) in fueling the fight against Ovarian Cancer. The NOCC provides those fighting ovarian cancer with the information, tools, contacts, and know-how to best position themselves for success against the disease. Considering that this “silent killer” often goes undetected until it has already spread to deadly proportions, organizations like the NOCC are instrumental in helping women detect this disease early on and approach it from an educated disposition upon diagnosis.

According to the American Cancer society over 20,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will surface in 2005 and over 16,000 women will succumb to the disease. So how can you make a difference?

In response to this need, Zara is sponsoring the “___”; a hike to the top of Africa's tallest mountain that will raise money for the NOCC. Zara will escort supporters to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro via its scenic Rongai route. Hikers will enjoy a six day trek, including vistas of sweeping forests, and experience the climax upon summitting Arica's tallest mountian on day five.

Five-time Kilimanjaro conqueror Macon Dunnagan, of Charlotte, NC , forged the motivation behind this event after his wife was diagnosed with stage-three ovarian cancer. Working closely with the NOCC, he decided that he would like Zara to sponsor the event and provide accommodations for the fund raiser. Here is a brief transcript from Mr. Dunnagan taken during an interview with him after setting up this event:

I understand that you are organizing a fund raising trip to Tanzania in which proceeds will be donated to the NOCC (National Ovarian Cancer Coalition)? What prompted this move and how exactly will its proceeds be generated?

It's just a super hike and a ton of fun. I think that by mixing the adventure of something like Kilimanjaro with something noble like raising money for the NOCC, we can truly find something folks can get into and feel like they're contributing to. The actual logistics of how the proceeds will be generated have not yet been worked out (since the idea is only a week old), but we're hoping to have some type of matrix in place very soon. We'll probably end up doing donations on a per-foot-climbed basis, or donate a portion of the safari price paid by the customer to the NOCC. Stay tuned...

Was the event planned to take place in tandem with National Cancer Awareness Month beginning on September 1, 2006?

Yes. And further than that, we're hoping that this will become an annual event where people can come out for a taste of adventure and show their support.

What about your wife? Tell me about this extraordinary person.

Yeah, she's an extremely tough and determined woman. It's almost as if we were destined to meet. It was my last day on a vacation when I met her on a small island off the coast of Fiji. Interestingly, it was her first day...so in essence if we were going to meet, it had to happen 'now or never' (he laughs). She's almost done with chemotherapy and is doing extremely well. Although, she has her ups and downs (refering to last weekend's post-treatment woes), which are to be expected. Thankfully, with her positive attitude, there are a lot more ups than downs

Where can people go to get information about participating?

The NOCC website (www.ovarian.org) will have a section dedicated to the event online    fairly soon. Also, check Adventures Within Reach's website at www.zaratravel.com/kili/nocc2006.html for more information.

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