Dundee-Crown grad Verhaeghe hiking for a cause

Missy Verhaeghe considers herself one of the lucky ones in the fight against cancer.

Now she seeks to help others not as fortunate by pushing herself to new heights.

Say, 19,341 feet.

A 1998 Dundee-Crown graduate living in Phoenix, Ariz., Verhaeghe detected a lump in her throat in July of 2010. A biopsy determined the inch-round cystic tumor was thyroid cancer.

The cancer was slow moving, unlike Verhaeghe, a high school cross-country and track standout who later ran on scholarship at Lewis University and remains an avid fitness and outdoors enthusiast.

Surgery two months later removed the tumor. The diagnosis was encouraging. The cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes.

Told the chance of the disease spreading further was low, she opted against radiation and has been healthy since.

Verhaeghe, who works as a forensic criminalist for the Arizona Department of Public Safety — “Everyone gives me the same schpeel, ‘Oh, it's CSI girl!' ” she said with a laugh. “It's not as glamorous. I work in a lab.” — understands from experience it could have been far worse.

She was first exposed to the ravaging effects of cancer while still in high school, when a 15-year-old friend of her family was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. He passed away 18 months later. Verhaeghe said she was “gutted” as she watched her friend's health deteriorate.

Two years later, her aunt developed a nonspecific inoperable cancer and succumbed after 20 months at the age of 47.

Last November, 14 months after Missy Verhaeghe underwent surgery to remove her cancer, her father, Dale, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to Missy, Dale is “doing really well” after radiation seeds were implanted in December.

Anyone whose life has been affected by cancer can empathize with Verhaeghe's frustration level with its continual intrusion in her life. She wanted to do something, anything, to fight back, to take a swing at the disease for those who can't. But how?

Her unique answer became apparent one day last fall while she perused LiveStrong.org, the online presence of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

“I saw a link on the LiveStrong website to the effect of ‘Do you want to hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro?' ” Verhaeghe said. “I was like, “‘Uh, of course I do.' ”

Survivor Summit, partnered with LiveStrong, is a hike up the tallest peak in Africa, designed to raise funds and awareness for cancer survivors. Verhaeghe is among 20 cancer survivors slated to make the climb.

Hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro is right in the adventurer's wheelhouse. She and friends backpacked 500 miles last summer from Denver to Durango, Colo. During that trek, in the San Juan Mountains, Verhaeghe hiked to the top of her first “14er,” a peak above 14,000 feet.

Immediately, she filled out and submitted the online application, detailing how cancer had affected her family. “I didn't even proofread it,” she said.

A confirmation email from Survivor Summit arrived a week later, stating she had been chosen as a finalist. Word arrived Christmas week she had been selected to make the hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro in June.

“I'm not surprised,” Verhaeghe's high school coach at Dundee-Crown, Tom Smith, said of her summer plans. “She was always passionate in whatever she did, and she had such great compassion for others.”

The contract Verhaeghe agreed to specifies she must raise a minimum of $10,000, every penny of which goes directly to LiveStrong, she said. The additional costs for gear and a plane ticket to Tanzania (approximately $3,100) are on her.

Verhaeghe isn't overly concerned about raising the minimum donation amount, though her credit card will be charged the difference if she fails to raise the funds. She has already raised $7,085 and will host a poker tournament fundraiser at a Phoenix area bar next week. Her goal is to raise $19,341, a dollar for every foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro's elevation.

Besides, doing the minimum isn't Verhaeghe's modus operandi, especially when it comes to such a personal cause.

“I can't name any people in my life who have not been affected in some way by cancer,” Verhaeghe said. “Cancer has affected my life and the lives of a lot of my family.

“LiveStrong provides a lot of services for those who have gotten cancer and need assistance either with education or programs. I just think it's an important cause.”

The hike up Kilimanjaro will be a true test of stamina, as will the flight itself. The group departs for Africa June 23. Following a layover in Europe, they are scheduled to arrive in Tanzania the night of June 24.

After some time to acclimate to the time change, the expedition launches on June 26, led by Earth Treks CEO Chris Warner, an accomplished mountaineer and guide.

There is no technical mountain climbing involved in scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro; the group can actually hike the entire way to the summit. However, the elements can be extreme. Temperatures can range from 80 degrees during the day to 10 below zero at night with high winds. And the air gets pretty thin at 19,000 feet.

“They say it's a difficult hike, not necessarily because it's steep, but more or less because you're so high up in elevation,” Verhaeghe said. “I guess more people have died doing Mt. Kilimanjaro than Mt. Everest. I think that's a warning to be very prepared.”

The group will make a short hike on July 1, then get some sleep before the final 12 hour ascent. They will begin the final push to the summit at midnight on July 2 and arrive at dawn. Thus, the adventurers can spend some time atop the peak, then descend to a safe level before the weather deteriorates later in the day.

One of the expedition's main goals is to plant an “honor flag” at the peak. The flag will be emblazoned with the names of loved ones either lost to cancer or currently fighting it. Donors can add the name of a loved one to the flag for $100, according to Verhaeghe and the Survivor Summit website.

Video and photos will be taken of the honor flag and posted online. The flag itself will subsequently fly in front of LiveStrong's headquarters in Austin, Texas for the following year.

Verhaeghe intends to take her own pictures of the honor flag — “I'm hoping my camera doesn't freeze,” she said — and present each of her qualifying supporters with a personalized keepsake of the symbolic moment. It's a moment that will hold special meaning for her.

“I'll be thinking of all the people in my life that have been affected by cancer,” Verhaeghe said. “I'll be thinking of the ones who haven't survived every step of the way.”

Verhaeghe continues to raise donations as the trip draws closer.

“I am really excited,” she said. “I was a little frightened initially, but now that I'm getting closer to my goal I'm getting more and more excited. I'll start looking into actually buying the plane tickets soon.

“I'll be on my way at that point.”

And on her way to new heights, all in the name of a good cause.

To donate: Anyone interested in supporting Missy Verhaeghe's fundraising effort can do so via the LiveStrong website: http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/missy. Or mail a check along with the printable donation form, which can be downloaded at: http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TRGiftForm?fr_id=1250&px=1009155.