TEAM KILIMANJARO
OUR GUIDE: PROUTS MAYUNGA, THE ROOF OF AFRICA ADVENTURES
Protus grew up in Tanzania and started climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro when he was seventeen years old. He climbed for many years before moving to the US. He first moved to Oswego, NY thanks to a family whom he had led up Kili! His path then brought him to Philadelphia, in order to further his formal education. He now lives in the outlying suburbs with his wife and their three children. Protus enjoys teaching the kids outdoor skills and getting out exploring whenever he can. His passion for mountaineering continues and he has summited some peaks in the US. He also enjoys ice climbing with friends, participating in the Adirondack Mountain Festival which happens every year in January! The Roof of Africa Adventures is Protus’ long time vision. He is proud to share the beauty of his country and to bring tourism to the local economy. He hopes that it will open doors and create job opportunity for individuals that will work with him in Tanzania.
Protus has long been aware of Huntington’s disease, having extended family that is fighting the disease. He is very glad to be leading this expedition and appreciates the creative energy going into this fundraiser and the level of success it is having raising funds for the HDF!
COURTNEY BLETHEN
Courtney tested positive for the Huntington’s Disease gene two years ago. Since then, she has become very involved with the Hereditary Disease Foundation (“HDF”) fundraising effort. She has been a frequent and outspoken speaker at HDF events, and she has served as a contributor to the HDF newsletter. Climbing Kilimanjaro will be one of her greatest physical and emotional challenges. She is hopeful that her training regiment and the Kilimanjaro climb will provide her with additional strength and enthusiasm for her continued campaign to raise money for finding a cure to Huntington’s Disease. Please read the HDF Summer 2008 Newsletter here.
ERIKA RALSTON
Courtney is Erika’s inspiration, as well as one of her oldest and closest friends. The two friends met when they were 10 years old at Camp Nor’wester and then reconnected again at the UW almost ten years later! Two years ago, when Courtney tested positive for the Huntington’s gene, Erika dedicated herself to supporting Courtney, the HDF community, and making it her mission to fundraise for HDF.
Erika firmly believes that the potential research and medical advances associated with HD research will translate to advances and treatments for other medical conditions. For example, Erika’s brother Alex became a quadriplegic in March, 2004, as the result of a boating accident, and she is hopeful that potential HD treatments may be useful for spinal cord research. Erika believes the Kili Klimb will be a true testament of the group’s inner strength, hope, and commitment as they continue the quest to find a cure for Huntington’s Disease!
LIZ WEBER
Huntington’s Disease runs in Liz’s family. Her family has been battling the effects of HD since her grandfather started showing symptoms in the early 1960’s. Her mom was diagnosed in 1998. Since then Liz has worked firsthand and connected with families affected by the disease. Her creative fundraising efforts have resulted in over $500,000 dollars raised for research and support services in the last 3 years.
KATE BAYLEY
Kate grew up with Liz and is driven to do all she can to help her friends in the fight against Huntington's. She is currently producing a documentary on Huntington's disease. She and the documentary team are hungry to get the word out on what Huntington's is and how it affects people in many different ways. Their film is a story about the human condition that will be put out to the world to raise awareness and create an understanding for a disease that many have never heard of but that affects thousands in our country and around the world. After living in NY for 5 years she moved to LA where she divides her time between acting and producing. She just wrapped a short film, adapted from a Tom Donaghy play. Other camera projects include: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, NYC Serenade, and Transamerica. It’s a powerful thing when you match up a strong group of determined people with a strong powerful mountain. Kate is excited and ready to KLIMB KILI for the KURE!
TADD SACKVILLE-WEST
Tadd is in the process of shooting and editing the Huntington’s Disease Documentary. He is honored to join his friends in this climb for the Kure. Tadd's true home is Hyak, in Washington. He's an artist who works in film, photography and design. Although he's lived in NY, LA and Alaska he's never been able to stray too far from the Cascades. His inspiration to create and build would suffer without snowboarding, woodworking and stopping to take in what nature has to offer. Tadd's past mountaineering trips add a sense of calm and experience to the group. He is excited to document our journey while we join together to Klimb for the Kure.
COACH CARLA WILCOX
Coach Carla Wilcox is training the team to become fit physically, mentally, and spiritually. She has offered the team her boxing studio, Wilcox Boxing, in order to grow individually and bond as a team.
NATE SCURICH
Nate spends his free time traveling, snowboarding, and cross training so as to stay fit and to be ready for just these types of adventures. He will be adding his knowledge of injury prevention & treatment that he's gained with 14 years of body-work practice to the group's ascension success at Kili.
"I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of this climb for Huntington's Disease (HD). This is an exciting time in the battle scientists are waging against HD. In their latest break through, they are using an approach called RNA interference (RNAi), with which they are reducing levels of the disease-causing HD protein in mice. It's truly amazing!"
As noted by Beverly L. Davidson, Ph.D., the Roy J. Carver Chair in Internal Medicine and UI professor of internal medicine, physiology and biophysics, and neurology. "Many of the current approaches aimed at treating HD are indirect and target the symptoms of the disease. RNA interference gives us the first opportunity to attack the fundamental problem and reduce protein expression from the disease gene. Our study is the first demonstration that a therapy designed to inhibit protein production has a beneficial effect."
For more details about this break through visit,
http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-news/U--Iowa-researchers-improve-Huntingtons-disease-symptoms-in-mice-783-1/
and
http://www.hdsa.org/images/content/1/1/11521.pdf
BILLY AARON BROWN
Billy joined the Kili group in October after visiting Seattle. He has been practicing walking so he can be a better hiker. He is also proud to be a part of such a great group of human beings and feels blessed to be able to join them on this incredible journey. He remains a huge advocate for HD.
Heather Alimossy
Heather's mother is currently in the final stage of HD. She tested positive in November of 2007 and her brother tested positive in March of 2008. Since finding out she tested positive, she has wanted to get involved in as many ways as possible. She was in the, "Huntington's Disease Documentary", that Kate Bayley, Tadd Sackville-West , and Josh Taft are doing, which was an amazing experience. Now she is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to help find a cure. She is also going to school to be a teacher.
KATY BRADLEY
Katy Bradley is a fun loving and adventurous young woman. Her passion to find a cure and bring awareness to Huntington’s Disease results from her husband, Scott (age 38), who was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease in June 2006, and son Matthew, who passed away on May 21, 2008 at the young age of 6 years from complications of the very rare Juvenile Huntington’s Disease. These two loved ones are not the only reason for her quest to find a cure; she also has beautiful twin daughters, Anna Joy and Emma Rose (age 4) who are at risk for this fatal disease. It was through the friendship with Liz Weber who introduced Katy and Scott to the Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF). With the donations through “Klimb For The Kure” the team is raising funds that will go toward research and treatment to find a cure for Huntington’s. Katy, along with her teammates, believes that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro will be one of their greatest physical and emotional challenges. Please support Team Kili and make a donation now. Thank you!
ANNA ROSELLA
Anna Rosella has been a lifelong friend of the HD Community. She has been a wonderful friend to Debbie Blethen, Courtney's mom, for many years. Courtney's father, Buster Blethen, passed away from HD and Anna watched a family go through the emotional heartache of seeing a loved one suffer through the disease. Anna has been an avid fundraiser for the cause and a wonderful friend to not only the Blethen family but for the whole HD Community for a long time! She is looking forward to this incredible journey and with new friends and old, and how wonderful it has been to see how many people we have educated about HD and touched through this entire fundraising effort!
PEGGY CURTIS
