There was a season in my life when I struggled deeply with anxiety and my mental health. At the time, I never could have imagined the person I would become or the places life would eventually take me.

Years later, I found the outdoors and the mountains, and somewhere along the way they became a place of peace, challenge, growth, and healing. The quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go,” resonates deeply with me because being in the mountains makes me feel alive, grounded, and fully myself.

I have also found purpose and fulfillment through my work as a sonographer, caring for patients during vulnerable moments in their lives. Over time, I began to realize just how much both healthcare and the mountains have shaped who I am.

This October, I will join Any Mountain's Ecuador Volcanoes expedition alongside a team of survivors, clinicians, and caregivers raising funds for gynecologic cancer research, with a focus on ovarian cancer prevention, aggressive endometrial cancers, and health equity.

What makes this opportunity especially meaningful is that it brings together two parts of my life that mean so much to me: caring for others and climbing mountains. 

I am currently training for this expedition while working as a travel sonographer in remote Arctic Alaska, where I also travel by small plane to provide ultrasound services in villages accessible only by air. This season has continually reminded me how important access to healthcare can be and how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve others.

My fundraising goal is $12,000. It's a big goal, but this journey has never been only about reaching a summit. It's an opportunity to take something that has brought so much growth and healing into my own life and use it to help support research that could change the lives of others.

I want to do hard things. I want to do good things. And I love the mountains.This climb brings all three together.

I would be honored to have you be part of it. Every donation, no matter the size, helps support critical gynecologic cancer research and brings us one step closer to improving the lives of women and families affected by these diseases.