Cancer Picked the Wrong Chick!

If you've known me for any length of time, you already know two things:

1. I can be stubborn.

2. I have absolutely no problem doing things people tell me I can't do.

So naturally, when someone suggested a 7.6 mile adaptive hike up Mount Washington, my first thought wasn't exactly an enthusiastic "SIGN ME UP!"

It was more like, "If cancer didn't kill me...this hike sure will!" & "You gotta be kidding me if you think I am waking up at 3am to hike a mountain!"

So after a lot of peer pressure (seriously, I need new friends!)...they convinced me to do it. 

 On July 26, I'll be taking on the 7.6-mile climb up Mount Washington Auto Road as part of an adaptive hiking team to benefit Adaptive Sports Partners. I'll be doing it from my wheelchair, powered by determination, an incredible support crew, and probably an unhealthy amount of sarcasm & swearing.

But this journey started long before this hike.

Life has thrown some pretty steep mountains in my path. Being a wheelchair user has meant constantly finding new ways around obstacles that most people never even notice. Then cancer showed up and decided it wanted a turn.

Cancer taught me a lot. It taught me patience. It taught me gratitude. It taught me how strong people can be when they don't have a choice.

Most importantly, it taught me that every single day is a gift.

Today, I am cancer-free.

Those three words mean more to me than I can put into writing.

There were days when my world felt very small—days spent in hospitals, days filled with uncertainty, days when the finish line seemed impossible to see. During those moments, I learned something powerful: hope isn't something you find. It's something you choose.

And now I'm choosing adventure.

This hike isn't about proving anything to anyone else. It's about celebrating how far I've come. It's about honoring every challenge, every setback, every victory, and every person who stood beside me when the climb felt impossible.

It's also about showing that disability doesn't mean the end of adventure. Sometimes it just means taking a different route to get there.

Will this hike be hard? Absolutely.

Will there be moments when I'm tired, sore, and questioning my life choices? Almost certainly.

Will I complain about it? Also yes. 100%.

But I'm going anyway.

Because after everything life has thrown at me, I've learned that fear doesn't get to make my decisions anymore.

I'm raising funds to support adaptive recreation and help create opportunities for others with disabilities to experience the same sense of freedom, challenge, and accomplishment that this journey represents. Everyone deserves the chance to chase big goals, breathe mountain air, and discover that they're capable of more than they imagined.

If you're able to donate, thank you.

If you're able to share this page, thank you.

If you're simply cheering from the sidelines, thank you.

Every bit of support helps push this journey forward.

On July 26, I'll be heading up a mountain. But the truth is, I've already climbed some pretty big ones.

And if cancer couldn't stop me, Mount Washington should probably be nervous.

Let's do this!!!!