The school year doesn't end for months, yet Richland teacher Matt Leggett already is preparing for summer break.
He laces up his hiking boots two or three times each week and climbs Badger Mountain. He needs to be in top shape by August, because that's when he and his older brother plan to tackle Africa's highest peak to raise money for breast cancer research.
"We wanted to be active and do something to show our support and maybe make a difference," Matt Leggett said.
The 46-year-old Hanford High School history and drama teacher and his brother, Mark Leggett of Seattle, are participating in the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer through the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. They'll travel to Tanzania in east Africa and summit 19,300-plus-foot Mount Kilimanjaro.
The brothers are raising $10,000 each to participate in the climb. The Fred Hutchinson center is among the premier cancer research organizations in the world.
The disease has touched the brothers' lives in recent years. Their mother is a breast cancer survivor and the wife of one of their other brothers is battling inflammatory breast cancer.
Their oldest brother also has advanced cancer.
It can be a helpless feeling watching a loved one fight the disease, the brothers said. They jumped at the chance to make the climb because it was a way to take action, they said.
"This was something I felt I could do. I'm healthy, fortunate to be healthy. I thought, 'I can do this,' " Mark Leggett said.
The 56-year-old, who works as a remodeling contractor, has been doing his training hikes in a park in the Seattle area. The park has 300 stairs, and he climbs up and down five times during each workout session.
In the spring, he'll add a pack to prepare for when he and Matt are on Kilimanjaro. The Africa climb won't be too technically difficult, but it will be long and exhausting, the brothers said.
It'll take seven days, with the most challenging part being the high altitude. The climb is being led by the Seattle-based mountaineering company Alpine Ascents International.
The Leggett brothers have started raising money for the climb. Community members can contribute by visiting the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer website at www.fhcrc.org/climb and following the directions to donate.
Matt Leggett said the climb is a fitting fundraiser for cancer research because both require perseverance.
"I like the metaphor of climbing. (Fighting cancer) really is a climb. It takes time, determination and teamwork to get to the top," he said. "Every step takes you closer to where you need to go."
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