Cancer Survivors Seek Inspiration
September 28, 2000
By Joseph Coleman/AP
Hundreds of cancer survivors and their families sought inspiration this week at the heights of Japan’s most famous landmark: the summit of Mount Fuji. They got what they were looking for.
“A lot of people really cried at the top of the mountain,” said Kimiko Goldberg, a climber who has beat breast cancer-twice. “They never thought that they could do such a thing. It was very moving.”
More than 200 climbers-160 from Japan and about 50 from the United States-started the trek up the 12,460-foot Mount Fuji on Aug. 21 in the afternoon.
The plan was proposed by Andrea Martin, founder of the Breast Cancer Fund, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, and Dr. Jinroh Itami. Itami is a Japanese oncologist who leads a cancer support group that considers mountain climbing an inspiring metaphor for the challenge of overcoming cancer.
The lesson is especially valuable for victims of breast cancer, which often recurs in past sufferers, said Martin, who has had the disease twice.
“This has helped them so much get back into their bodies and to heal,” she said of the climb. “It’s incredibly empowering.”
The group couldn’t have picked a better spot in Japan for inspiration. Mount Fuji, which rises dramatically in a perfect cone southwest of Tokyo, has drawn Japanese poets and mystics for centuries.
“It’s a tough mountain,” said Martin. “It’s very steep and it requires full concentration, all the way up and all the way down, every step has to be sure-footed.” Not all the climbers-which also included 200 family members and supporters-made it to the top.
The climb was the third for the Breast Cancer Fund. In 1996, 17 patients climbed the 23,000-foot Aconcagua in Argentina, and five breast cancer survivors climbed Alaska’s 20,400-foot Mount McKinley. The Mount Fuji climb had been in the works for a couple of years.
The climb was also aimed at bringing attention to increasing breast cancer rates. According to the Breast Cancer Fund, the disease is the leading cause of death for American women ages 25 to 55.
Each U.S. team member has raised from $5,000 to $30,000 for cancer research, education, patient support and other activities. Martin said the team as a whole raised $500,000.
In Japan, cancer is the leading cause of death and some 30,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year-a growth rate among the world’s fastest. Despite the disease’s prevalence, a tradition that encourages people to feel shameful about their illnesses has kept many Japanese from seeking emotional support.
“Especially in Japan, a lot of cancer patients are in hiding almost,” said Goldberg, a main Japanese organizer of the climb. “By knowing that there are those who are willing to climb, it could give them some encouragement.”
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