A Tsawwassen husband-and-wife team will take on Mt. Kilimanjaro this September to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's.
Lisa Heiberg and Doug Spencer are preparing to take part in Ascent for Alzheimer's, a seven-day climb up and down Africa's tallest mountain.
The cause is of special significance to the couple as Spencer's father died last August after a multi-year battle with the disease. Spencer and Heiberg, who are both police officers, also deal with Alzheimer's sufferers "all of the time" through their jobs, he noted.
Spencer now works with the Metro Vancouver Transit Police after retiring from a lengthy career with the Vancouver Police Department, while Heiberg is an RCMP officer with the provincial missing persons unit.
In terms of preparing for the trek, the couple has taken part in group climbs (including an eight-anda-half-hour outing in the Lions Bay area) with other Ascent for Alzheimer's team members as well as working out on their own.
Spencer said he talked to a friend who climbed Kilimanjaro a few years ago who said while training and preparation are certainly needed, it's basically just a long hike. Altitude sickness can also be a factor.
The Ascent for Alzheimer's website notes the mountain is 19,340 feet (or 5,895 metres) They each need to raise $10,000 to take part. A golf tournament fundraiser is planned for June 27 at Tsawwassen Springs followed by a function, including a silent auction, at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn.
Contact [email protected] for more details on the golf fundraiser. Visit http://ow.ly/Gywlq to view the couple's fundraising webpage.
A burger/beer fundraiser is planned for July 18 at a Port Coquitlam pub.
Alzheimer's is something that impacts whole families, Spencer explained.
"It doesn't just affect the person who has it," he added.
