Jordan Brent Palmieri

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Through Endure to Cure I intend to use every future mountaineering expedition as an opportunity to help to advance the fight against pediatric cancer. I feel strongly about the issue of cancer because, like so many others, my life has been forever altered by that word. Cancer is a disease that can effect anyone regardless of age. It is this sad reality that should fuel the fire beneath your feet. If you have a chance to give a child a shot at life, then I beg you to help them take aim! Endure to Cure not only gives us a chance to pioneer mountains but more importantly to become pioneers of pediatric cancer. By enduring the elements we can all help in the discovery of new treatments that could one day lead to a cure.

For me, climbing mountains is much more then simply a test of physical strength, its a chance to disappear, a chance to blend into the outskirts of our own universal wilderness, and now it’s a chance to save lives. We should all live life on the whim of attraction, the flash of limitless freedom, the thrill of surprise, the art of the travel, all of these things keep us alive in the moment. That moment when you come across snow covered peaks and sharp vertical cliffs that instantly steal the breath from your body. That moment when altitude sickness strikes you like a ton of bricks, causing you to stop to catch your breath every other step, only to look out at the view as it slightly changes with every blink, like a flipbook on autopilot.

Sometimes when I reach a summit, I often imagine someone sitting at home on the couch playing video games or going out to the same old bars, seemingly repeating the comforts of their structured lives. Not to feel as if I am any better, but just to know I’m not doing the same. I’m not sitting on a couch or in a bar stool, I’m on top of a mountain, on top of the world, where everything seems at peace, if only for that moment, I am at peace. I now realize that even though I maybe thousands of feet up a mountain, everything is not at peace, there are still people sitting around playing video games, but not because they want to, but because that’s all they can do. Millions of children around the world are trapped inside hospitals and forced to undergo radiation therapy, countless shots and repetitive surgeries because they are classified as cancer patients, faced with dealing with the hardships of life, before experiencing its blessings, playing with IV tubes and wheel chairs, instead of IPods and teddy bears. It is because of this unfortunate reality that I am happy to be apart of Endure to Cure. As a group I know we do can do more then just raise funding, we can raise hope!

All proceeds of the funds I raise will go to create small miracles for kids who are currently undergoing harsh cancer treatments. Each $500 I raise will help provide a small wish of a child to make their dark days of fighting cancer a little brighter. Check out some past examples right here!