Tommy in Aconcagua

About 5 or 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I have worked on staying healthy for as long as I can. Every day, I go out, exercise and try to keep my body (and mind) in the best possible health. A few years ago, I picked up mountaineering and trekking. Last year I climbed my highest peak yet: Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with an elevation of 19,341 feet.

On January 2nd, 2024, I will attempt to climb Aconcagua, the highest peak on Earth outside of Asia. Located in the province of Mendoza in Argentina, the mountain has an elevation of 6,960 meters or 22,837 feet.

The entire expedition takes about 18 days, 12 of which you are climbing. Besides being fun and a good challenge for a 67 year-old guy, I decided I could do something to help others.

My attempt to climb Aconcagua will also be a fundraising effort to support the search for a treatment/cure for Parkinson’s through the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). My goals are to summit the 22,837-foot peak and raise $22,837 in the process.

We devised this fundraising effort as a “sponsorship” in which for every foot that I can climb, the sponsor pledges a monetary contribution.

For example, with a pledge of: $0.1 for every 100 feet, if I reach the summit, the sponsor agrees to donate $22.84.   If I can’t reach the summit but get to 20,000 feet, then the contribution is $20. The pledge amount ($/100 feet) is up to you.

The deal is that the MJFF will collect 100% of the funds I collect in an amount proportional to the elevation I reach. Many things go through your head when you are high on a mountain – feeling cold, exhausted, struggling to breathe in the thin air and wondering who in their sane mind would do something like this? Knowing that every foot I continue, I will be adding funds to a search for a cure will lift me up and drive me forward.

Thank you for your support!

-Tommy