No comments.
CdM Couple On Way to Mountain For Duchenne Climb
posted: August 28th, 2009 07:06 am |
0No Comments
A Corona del Mar couple who dream of finding a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy has left for Seattle, days away from a mountain climb that will raise more than $100,000.
Debra and Paul Miller founded the organization CureDuchenne after learning in 2002 that their only son, now 12, has the disease, the most common form of muscular dystrophy.
The couple has joined ten other climbers who have pledged to reach the summit of Mount Rainier in Washington, raising a dollar a foot, or $14,410 per climber.
“We have raised $119,000, still $51,000 short,” Miller said. “But we will be taking donations even after the climb.” (Visit the organization’s website for information on how to contribute.)
The climbers gathered in Seattle from around the country on Thursday, and today will have a news conference at the REI flagship store in Seattle, Miller said. On Saturday, the climbers will attend an orientation, followed by mountain training on Sunday. “They have to teach us how to self-arrest,” Miller said. “Stop ourselves from sliding down the mountain and into a crevasse.”
On Monday, the team will begin climbing. The goal is 10,000 feet, then a rest until midnight to begin the last leg of the summit.
“Then it’s straight down the mountain arriving in the afternoon,” Miller said. “We are hoping we have some energy left for a celebration Tuesday night.”
Corona del Mar Today will update the story as the group progresses.
