The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

31 · Friday, May 28, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Phone: 905-337-5560 Fax: 905-337-5571 e-mail: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com Climbing Everest to support her sister She conquered Mount Kilimanjaro less than a year ago and now Cathy Goodale is preparing to climb Mount Everest. But the climb is more than just an adventure for the Oakville resident: it is to help combat the disease that has affected her sister for the last 25 years ­ multiple sclerosis. "I'm doing it for my sister," the 49-yearold said. In a fundraising effort, Goodale will be climbing to the Everest base camp in Nepal, which has an altitude of about 5,300 metres. The world's tallest summit has two base camps, the southern one in Nepal and the northern one in Tibet. The mountain peaks at 8,848 metres above sea level. "I'm doing this for Karin. I have two Karins: a Karin before MS and a Karin after MS," she said. Karin, who is now 48, was diagnosed with the neurological disease at age 23 after she had her first child. "I would like for her to be able to have some comfort at this stage of the disease," Goodale said. "I would love to have a cure, but right now, where we're at, we need to have support services in place. When the disease progresses it doesn't just affect the patient, it affects the whole family." Last year, Goodale, who is currently on the board of directors with the Halton chapter of the MS Society, joined the MS Climb team that climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak. To be involved in the Kilimanjaro event, each climber had to raise a minimum of $10,000, part of which would pay for expenses, while most of the money went back to the MS society. Goodale raised $20,000. peaks. You also have to do an ice-cavern crossing. It's more remote." This is the third of a five-year commitment by the MS Society to have climbers raise $1 million for MS research and support services in Canada. Each year new locations are added. Everest and El Camino del Santiago in Spain are new this year, joining Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu in Peru, which was the location in the first year. The money Goodale is raising will be allocated to the Halton chapter to pay for local services for people with MS and their families, while 40 per cent of those funds will go to pay for research. Goodale is holding events around the community to raise the money. Her next fundraiser is at her salon, Strut Hair Studio, 115 Jones St. in Bronte, on Monday, May 31 at 6 p.m. The Gold Diggers Party event will feature gold buyers who will weigh gold brought by participants and purchase it; 15 per cent of the sale price goes to Goodale's MS climb. People who wish to participate are asked to RSVP at cmpgoodale@sympatico.ca. Despite being able to make the journey up Kilimanjaro, Goodale has an obstacle in her way: she suffers from altitude sickness. It is a physical condition that is triggered by CLAUDIO CUGLIARI / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER the thin air entering the lungs at high altitudes and she is allergic to certain medicaTO TACKLE MS: Cathy and Don Goodale pose for a photo during the climb for MS fundraiser tions for the problem. In explaining altitude at Cucci restaurant recently. Cathy will climb to Everest base camp in Nepal and is committed to raissickness, Goodale said it involves weakness ing $20,000. in the extremities, disorientation, severe "When you get to the top it's unbeliev- this October. headache, nausea and vomiting and in able. It's euphoric," she said. "Everest is more challenging to get to," extreme cases pulmonary edema. Because the Everest expedition has a she said, explaining the Everest expedition is Despite the sickness, her love for her sishigher cost, the minimum fundraising goal twice as long as Kilimanjaro. "Kilimanjaro is ter is her reason for doing the difficult climb is $20,000 per climber and Goodale is a free standing mountain. You start at the again. already at about $16,500. Seven climbers base and you go up. Whereas, to get to For more information on the climb visit have signed on for the two-week expedition Everest you have to go over valleys and www.msclimb.ca.