Coming July 11-12, 2013 - Mount Hood, Oregon.
Donna Brown knows about challenges! She is 61 years young and has had tinnitus, constant ringing in her ears since 1996! 13 years ago, Donna Brown climbed Mount Rainier in Washington State to help raise awareness of tinnitus and money for research. At 12,000 feet, mountain guides turned her back, saying she was too exhausted to continue. That year, she recalled for readers of Tinnitus Today, the official magazine of American Tinnitus Association, how heartsick she felt, and how defeated.
Yet her efforts raised more than $85,000 from ATA members who understood the value of dreaming big while taking small steps to reach an ultimate goal.
Seven years later, Donna and her friend and partner in climb, Katy Thach, returned to Mt. Rainier stronger and more determined than ever, and reached the summit! Expedition Hopeful Cure 2 was more successful than they ever dreamed, as they raised $350,000.00 for ATA thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, ATA members and people all across the country!
Now, five years older and wiser, Donna is back. This summer, she and a small climbing team will return to climb Mount Hood with a renewed fervor! They call their effort Expedition Hopeful Cure 3, and it’s loaded with more challenges:
- Fundraising goal: $150,000 in donations
- Mt. Hood is Oregon’s highest mountain at 11,249 ft. and is an active volcano
- Distance to the summit: 3 miles with elevation gain of 5300 ft.
None of that deters Donna. As she says, “If I’m lucky enough to see a cure for tinnitus in my lifetime, it will be absolute heaven. If not in my lifetime, then knowing that I have contributed in some way to the development of a cure will give purpose and fulfillment to my life as well as relief to millions of people with this disabling and debilitating health problem!”
Donna is hoping you will join her in solidarity and is asking for your donations to ATA for continued research for an eventual cure for tinnitus once and for all!!!
Stay tuned to ATA website for further information about the climb and how you can contribute! Visit www.ata.org/donna-brown-2013. Donna has been a member of ATA since 1996.
