Working up a sweat to cure cancer

There are many giant, looming skyscrapers in Seattle, but the tallest building in the city is Columbia Center.

For the past 30 years, 6,000 determined people spend a day climbing up the center’s stairwells, scaling 69 floors to be rewarded with fresh air and a citywide view at the top.

But the best reward is hope — each participant helps bring in funds to support those working on a cure for blood cancers.

This year, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 31st “Big Climb” annual fundraiser has already outpaced last year’s, said Lindsey Tucker, the climb’s senior campaign manager, and last year they earned $2.7 million.

Proceeds from the event, which will be held on Sunday, March 26, go to support research for a cure and to support families and individuals feeling the devastating effects of cancer.

Among the climbers this year is La Conner local, Mike Ritchie, who know what it feels like to survive a cancer journey.

Each year, the society chooses people to be the climb’s “honorees,” who share their stories with participants online and in speeches.

Ritchie is this year’s honoree, due in part to his fundraising efforts last year and for his message of positivity that he retained after a diagnosis of advanced stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014.

“We are really lucky to work with him. He’s one of the nicest, most positive guys we’ve ever met,” Tucker said. “He embodies our mission, and we are happy to have him as part of our events.”

Ritchie’s mantra was “silver linings” throughout his cancer battle, right from the very start — looking for the good within the bad. The day he was diagnosed was a double-blow, the same day the Ritchies found out his good friend Trent died from leukemia.

“There are silver linings in everything,” Ritchie said. “One was that it brought the family closer together, it served to have us get together more often. This is a little silver lining right here,” he said as he nodded toward his daughter, 17-month-old Liliana.

He and his wife Heather were already parents to Conner, now 5, and were planning to have another child when Ritchie’s cancer results came in. Before he started treatment, the couple decided that against all odds, they still would continue with their plan.

“So, fast-forward nine months — pretty much to the day I started treatment — she was born,” Ritchie said. He successfully finished his treatment in July 2015.

“We felt there had to be something we could do to give back to programs like the clinical trial I was a part of,” he said.

Ritchie immersed himself in helping with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Big Climb 30, and his team, Alaska Airlines, ended up becoming the top fundraising corporate team.

“He came in with a vengeance and broke all sorts of records. We were number one for corporate sponsors, and Mike raised over $10 thousand himself last year,” Alaska Airlines captain Paul Hildebrandt said. He was the team captain that year, having survived cancer himself.

“It’s wonderful having people so dedicated to helping solve the mystery of cancer, he said. “As a survivor, there’s no words. What do you say?”

The Big Climb itself is no easy feat — some people train for months to prepare for the timed race option. The quickest anyone has ever climbed all 69 floors is an astonishing 7 minutes, 9 seconds, Tucker said. Some participants are hobbyist stair-climbers, but casual climbers can take over an hour.

As the climbers sweat and struggle their way to the top floor, there are “dedication posters” with photos and names hung up throughout the stairwell to help people keep their loved ones in mind and for additional motivation.

Many are in memory of people deceased, and some are in honor of those still standing.

“People touch their pictures, and it’s very meaningful,” Hildebrandt said. “And at the top, the view is incredible. No matter what, every time I’ve done it, the sky has been clear. And there are a lot of happy people at the top of that tower, that I can tell you.”

Personally, Ritchie says he likes being competitive and tells people who support his team, “I’m working hard to train for this. I’m trying to make the 10-minute mark.”

As team captain and the climb’s honoree, Ritchie helps remind people to look for the silver linings in all things, and with the amount of money they’ve already raised, it’s looking like the Big Climb 31 is one big silver lining this year.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest voluntary health organization funding blood cancer research, education and patient services for those affected with the blood cancers leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s Disease and myeloma. Right now, the society is funding 10 research projects in Washington state.

Though this year’s Big Climb has finished registration, people can still volunteer for the event or donate to help Ritchie’s fundraising goal online at http://bit.ly/2nkxsW9.