Mike Leum, ASM III
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I am glad to report that we made a successful climb of Mt Rainier, including the summit! We had perfect weather and conditions.
My donors, friends and supporters shared with me very personal stories of people close to them who are or have been battling cancer. Those names were put on my personal prayer flags, which indeed made it to the summit.
The four of us who went from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue were able to raise more than $30,000 for advancements in breast cancer research. Hopefully, the next time we do this, my prayer flags will have fewer names on them, as a result of earlier detection, and improvements in treatment!
While performing 500 search-and-rescue missions is instantly gratifying, knowing that I am contributing to the hopeful eradication of breast cancer brings a new perspective to my outdoor experiences. In our group we had climbers from opposite sides of the country, opposite sides of careers (we had a public defender among three reserve deputies), ALL united in a common goal of summiting for the benefit of research. Carrying with me my own personal prayer flags with the names of dozens of cancer survivors and warriors, and taking it to the summit, impressed upon me the importance of the work at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, which must be supported and advanced.
My goal is to have representation from Los Angeles County Sheriff's department each year on at AT LEAST one of your climbs. As it was, I had to turn people away because the Rainier Emmons climb filled up so quickly!
Mike Leum, ASM III
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Reserve Forces Bureau, Operations Manager
Reserve Chief, Search and Rescue
