Climbing for Caleb
Tue, 03/22/2011
Every journey begins with one step. For those participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's (LLS) annual Big Climb event, the beginning of something better is taking 1,311 steps.
On March 20, LLS hosted the 25th annual Big Climb. A determined 6,000 participants climbed 69 flights of stairs to the top of Seattle's Columbia Tower in an effort to raise money to cure blood-related cancers.
For a family with Highline roots and a four-year old son fighting cancer, each step is one in the right direction.
The "Climbing for Caleb" team was formed in 2008 after Caleb Thorsteinson, 11 months old at the time, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Caleb was being treated for an ear infection when his parents realized something more was wrong.
After a trip to the emergency room and a few blood tests, Caleb was receiving chemotherapy treatment the very next day. Former residents of Normandy Park, they now live in Spanaway closer to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.
"I was in shock. I couldn't believe that he wasn't even one year old and he'd been diagnosed with leukemia," says Scott Thorsteinson, Caleb's uncle and a firefighter for the North Highline Fire District. "I wanted to do whatever I could to help my brother and sister-in-law." With the Big Climb only months away, he and his wife, Kristy Thorsteinson, co-founded the "Climbing for Caleb" team.
The moral encouragement helped ease the initial shock. "We were really thankful for the amazing support," says Caleb's mother Sarah Thorsteinson. "That first year was really tough."
In addition to chemotherapy, Caleb was receiving blood and platelet transfusions and spinal taps every three months. Sarah and her husband Brad, who was raised in Burien and is a graduate of Highline High School, were also juggling parenting responsibilities for their three other children.
Despite the limited time to organize, the team had over 100 members its first year. This year the team has raised approximately $20,000. Their four-year total is over $100,000. The moral support, however, remains equally as meaningful as the money.
LLS chose Caleb as their "Honored Patient" in 2009 and nearly 350 people climbed on Thorsteinson's team. Wearing yellow t-shirts emblazoned with Caleb's picture, it was a sea of sunshine climbing the stairs. This year's team tops 150 people ranging from kids to senior citizens. Caleb's parents climb, his two older brothers, 10-year-old Noah and 8-year-old Eli, and dozens of family and friends from the Burien area including his grandmother.
"We just don't have the words to thank everyone who continues to do this for my little guy," says Sarah Thorsteinson. "Every year I get emotional and teary-eyed thanking people."
Pictures of survivors and those who have passed away line the stairwells to inspire participants. "It's an indescribable, motivating thing to do, but it's not necessarily fun," says Caleb's mother. "What helps me get to the top is thinking, 'I can see my baby up there!'"
Even Scott Thorsteinson, a physically-fit firefighter, agrees that the Big Climb can be challenging. "It's tough and I still break a sweat," he says, humbly adding that he typically scales the skyscraper in under 13 minutes.
The money raised has contributed to quantifiable progress in cancer treatments. Young boys now generally receive two months less treatment because drug regimens are more effective. "That's huge!" exclaims Sarah Thorsteinson who has witnessed how brutal each a day can be. "It's amazing to know that our sweat and tears from climbing and raising money really helped."
Caleb, the blond, blue-eyed boy who loves basketball and is the comedian of the family, personally attends the Big Climb and roots for his team and provides high-fives along with his 5-year-old sister Eden.
"I can't wait until the day when Caleb can climb," says his mother. That day may be right around the corner. This year was particularly special since Caleb found out that his last chemotherapy treatment will be April 13.
Even though Caleb will have finished treatment, his team will continue climbing next year. "What is important to Brad and me is paying the kindness forward," says Sarah Thorsteinson. "We will keep working and climbing to make a difference. We need to stay on the path to find a cure."
If you would like to donate to "Climbing for Caleb," visit BigClimb.org. All donations are tax deductible and must be received by April 9.