Fundraising
The goal is to raise $1 million dollars. Remember all donations go
directly to Alzheimer's research and none to Alan or to support the
climbs.
Here is how you can help today:
- Make a flat rate donation per summit, $100 for example
- Make a one time donation for all the climbs anytime.
- Host Alan for a local fund raiser where he will present the entire
year of climbs with an engaging multimedia presentation.
Make a Pledge for the Climbs:
An easy and fun way to donate to Alzheimer's research is by committing
a small amount for every foot Alan climbed on the 7 Summits. If you
donate one penny for Kilimanjaro as an example, you would contribute
$131 that goes only to Alzheimer's research. It would only be $864
for all 8 climbs, probably less than you spend on coffee!!
|
Mountain |
Summit |
Start |
Gain |
$0.01 |
1 |
Vinson, Antarctica
– 16,067'/4897m
Summited on December 9, 2010
Read about the climb  |
16,067 |
7,000 |
9,067 |
$91 |
2 |
Aconcagua,
Argentina – 22,902'/6980m
Summited on January 29, 2011
Read about the climb |
22,902 |
8,464 |
14,377 |
$144 |
3 |
Everest,
Nepal – 29,035'/8850m
Summited on May 21, 2011
Read about the climb  |
29,035 |
9,400 |
19,635 |
$196 |
4 |
Denali,
Alaska – 20,320'/6194m - July 201
Stopped at 17,200 High Camp by hurricane winds
Read about the climb  |
20,320 |
7,200 |
13,120 |
$131 |
5 |
Elbrus,
Russia – 18,481'/5633m
Summited on August 11, 2011
Read about the climb |
18,513 |
8,200 |
10,313 |
$103 |
6 |
Kilimanjaro,
Africa – 19,340'/5896m
Summited on September 19, 2011
Read about the climb |
19,340 |
5,363 |
13,977 |
$140 |
7 |
Carstensz
Pyramid, New Guinea – 16,023'/4884m
Summited on October 22, 2011
Read about the climb  |
16,023 |
12,467 |
3,556 |
$36 |
8 |
Mt. Kosciuszko, Australia - 7,310'/2228m
Summited on October 27, 2011
Read about the climb. |
7,310 |
6,026 |
1,284 |
$13 |
You can read a brief overview of each mountain on my 7
Summits page.
Alan Arnette
Alan was born in Memphis, TN and now lives with his wife in Colorado.
He took early retirement in 2007 after a 28 year career with Hewlett-Packard
to oversee the care of his mom as she entered the final stages of Alzheimer's
and his dad passed away about the same time. At HP, he served in various
roles but mostly in General Management positions including a 5 year
assignment in Europe. He started climbing late in life at age 38 with
Mont Blanc as his first big peak but went on to gain skills and experience
through climbing on some of the highest mountains in the world including
on Everest, Cho Oyu, Broad Peak, Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Denali and
more.
Ida's Story
The Warning Signs
We started noticing my mother's memories had slipped years ago. During
the 2003 Christmas holiday, we went to a hotel for their famous brunch.
As usual, we all got up to visit the buffet and indulge until we could
no more. I noticed my Mom walking around aimlessly. As I went over
to her, she seemed startled at my approach. "What do you want to eat?" I
asked her gently. "Oh, you know; the usual," was her noncommittal answer.
In spite of this warning sign, she and my dad continued their independent
life for several more years, refusing to give up their independence
in spite of our begging. As her memory grew worse, she mastered the
technique of the elusive "throw-away" answer. My dad supported her
deception either by design or by necessity.
Sitting across the table from her during breakfast, we chatted intently
about Dad being in the hospital. I had to keep reminding her that he
was not well and it was serious. In the midst of this serious talk,
she looked at me with clarity in her eyes and simply asked, "Now, who
are you again?"
In 2009 my mom continued to decline. She had trouble feeding herself
and doing other daily activities. She no longer recognized or remembered
anyone, and she had significant trouble forming words or creating sentences.
Her mind continued to be devastated by this disease. Not only was her
memory gone but almost all of her identity.
That said, I could still get her to laugh a little with a small joke
and even over the phone, I could feel her smile. So she was always
in there somewhere.
On August 16, 2009, she passed away.
What
Could I Do?
As a result seeing the impact of Alzheimer's on my mother, it became
clear that I had to do something. So after taking early retirement,
I have dedicated my life to raising money for Alzheimer's disease through
my climbing.
My dream is that researchers can find a way to stop or a cure for
this killer of lives and robber of precious lifetime memories.
What Can You Do?
Please make a donation today. All donations go to the Alzheimer's
and none to my climbing so please act today. You can also help with
fund raising today.
Campaign Supporters
The Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy
and Pfizer Inc. funded my climbs for the 7 Summits campaign so that
100% of your donations will go directly to your choice of the selected
organizations. Please visit the campaign website.
Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program
The Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy
and Pfizer Inc. is an equal collaboration committed to researching
and developing selective products for the treatment and/or prevention
of neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. The
Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program believes that it is possible to reduce
the burden of disease through early intervention in the illness. It
is dedicated to delivering comprehensive and integrated solutions that
help address the needs of people impacted by Alzheimer's disease. Its
research focuses on the beta amyloid hypothesis. Scientific evidence
supports the idea that preventing the accumulation and/or promoting
the removal of beta-amyloid may have the potential to slow the progression
of Alzheimer's disease and help preserve function in people with the
disease. This theory is being tested in clinical trials.
Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy
Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy is researching, developing and commercializing
selective products for the treatment and/or prevention of Alzheimer's
disease. Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy is based in Dublin and has
R&D facilities in South San Francisco.
Pfizer Inc
Pfizer applies science and global resources to improve health and
well-being at every stage of life. The company strives to set the standard
for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacturing
of medicines for people and animals. That includes a diversified global
health care portfolio of human and animal biologic and small molecule
medicines and vaccines, as well as nutritional products and many of
the world's best-known consumer products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues
work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention,
treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our
time. Consistent with Pfizer's responsibility as the world's leading
biopharmaceutical company, the corporation also collaborates with health
care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand
access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more
than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for those in
need. To learn more about Pfizer's commitments, please visit www.pfizer.com.
Expedition Support
I used professional guides for all the expeditions to ensure safety,
success and give me time to focus on fund raising instead of logistics.
International Mountain Guides
International
Mountain Guides directors Phil Ershler, George Dunn, Eric Simonson
and Paul Baugher organize and lead climbing, trekking and mountaineering
expeditions around the world, from the classic climbs of the Alps
and Andes to the 8,000m peaks of the Himalayas. They are one of the
most respected and active guiding companies in the world. Since 1986
they have conducted hundreds of expeditions to destinations around
the globe. IMG was selected as one of the top 5 adventure tour operators
by National Geographic Adventure Magazine in 2009. I climbed Cho
Oyu with them and have known Eric Simonson for years. I had 100%
summit success with IMG on Vinson, Aconcagua, Everest and Kilimanjaro.
Mountain Trip
Mountain Trip is
a small company based in Ophir Colorado. They are one of only five
authorized commercial guides for Denali from the National Park Service.
Today they run international trips from Everest to Carstensz Pyramid
to Vinson in Antarctica. I first climbed Denali in 2001 with Mountain
Trip and used them for Denali and Carstensz Pyramid (summit).
I used AlpsIndustria out
of Moscow for Elbrus and was on my own for Kosciuszko. I summited both. |