Follow My Journey
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Dear Friend,
Most of you know me as an upbeat and positive person. What you probably don't know is that my family and I have been coping with a debilitating disease that has afflicted an immediate family member over the past several years. It's a secret that I've kept from even some of my closest friends.
Michael-James Pennie (Ascent 2009) and BC Premier Gordon Campbell (Ascent 1999)
Back in 2003, my father, Jim, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Our personal lives have never been the same. I never wanted to burden those close to me with my challenges, although there was a nagging instinct inside of me that refused to go away. I had to do something. I became inspired to share my story. I became inspired to be proactive to help not only my father, but those other families affected.
As an active volunteer and vibrant contributor to the community, my Dad was the president of both my hockey and soccer associations simultaneously growing up. Now, some days he wakes up and forgets I'm his son. This for us is an every day reality.
My inspiration led me to unconventional action. What could I do to raise awareness? I needed to do something on a grand scale, so I decided to climb the tallest mountain in Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro.
I am going to climb a physical mountain for my father and every other individual and family that has been touched by Alzheimer's Disease. These people climb emotional and mental mountains higher than the 19,330 feet on a daily basis. I will face low levels of oxygen and potentially life-threatening altitude sickness. At the end of my journey I get off the mountain and go home. People with Alzheimer's stay on the mountain. Their obstacles strengthen and multiply, indefinitely.
PS – I’m so serious about this, I've even sold my baby to help finance this trip!
Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro will be the easy part. Raising the funds and creating awareness for the cause is the challenge and I cannot do it alone.
From the date of you watching the video above, I have until September 1st, 2009 to raise a minimum of $10,000 dollars, of which 100% of all proceeds will go directly to the Alzheimer Society of BC, to provide support for families and funding for drug research.
I want your ideas, I want you to tell people, I want you to stay connected with this campaign, I want you involved, and I thank you in advance for your contribution.
Sincerely,
Michael-James Pennie
From mjpennie@lynneux awesome! Thanks for the tip re: Backupify! # Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:48:27 Backing up my tweets with http://backupify.com - Twitter backup is free! # Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:47:48 Some twitter posts prior to 3/30/10 aren't displaying - anyone else have this prob...? See http://ow.ly/2cUGj # Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:19:40 So twitter decided to delete all my tweets from when I was in Africa climbing Kili for the months of Sept-Oct '09. AWESOME! :) # Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:08:47 New blog post: $261,113 Raised for Alzheimer’s Research & Support http://ow.ly/17OoU1 # Sun, 20 Jun 2010 10:21:38 |
@ mjpennie |
tweettoremember.com 2009
The 'tweet to remember' campaign was created to harness the power of social media in order to spread the viral profound message of Michael-James Pennie's Alzheimer's cause expediently with the limited window of time available to raise the committed amount of funds and spread awareness prior to September 1st 2009.
The campaign fuses together an innovative strategy focused around the popular and fast growing twitter micro-blogging platform, which allows users to constantly stay engaged with people of interest in real-time. Via satellite and GSM wireless technologies, Michael will be twittering every step of his journey, from the time you are reading this, until he summits Mount Kilimanjaro in late September and you can follow it too @mjpennie.
The best ways you can get involved are as follows:
As a signature event for the Alzheimer Society of B.C., Ascent raises funds for education and services to support the more than 70,000 individuals and their families across the province who live with dementia every day. Dollars raised also fund vital research into the causes and the cure.
Ascent for Alzheimer's 2009 - Alzheimer Society of BC
At the heart of the matter. For many people, committing to Ascent for Alzheimer’s fulfills a personal mandate to give back to the cause; perhaps a loved one had the disease, and they are looking for a way to help other families by supporting the Alzheimer Society. But the trek to the summit also holds a deeper meaning. Ascent is less about reaching the summit than it is about the journey – a journey that symbolically represents the mountain that those impacted by dementia face every day.
Because Ascent participants are responsible for paying their own expenses, something unique to similar fundraisers from other organizations, all funds raised go directly to support the Alzheimer Society of B.C. as well as research. Each participant agrees to pay his or her travel expenses as well as making a commitment to fundraise a minimum of $10,000 through sponsorships or other personal fundraising initiatives. Since its inception, Ascent has raised more than $2 million.
More than 130 Canadians have participated in Ascent for Alzheimer’s since its inception in 1998, each one of them remarkable for making the journey, and for their commitment to making a difference for those impacted by the disease. Some are notable because of their prominence within their communities, others for their exceptional dedication to reaching for the top. Learn More »
Kilimanjaro with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania rising 4,600 m (15,100 ft) from its base (and approximately 5,100 m (16,700 ft) from the plains near Moshi), and is additionally the highest peak in Africa at 5,891.8 metres (19,330 ft), providing a dramatic view of the surrounding plains.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa
There are several routes by which to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, namely, Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame. Of all the routes, Rongai is the easiest camping route and is the preferred route of choice for the Ascent team.
Persons wishing to climb Mt Kilimanjaro are advised to undertake appropriate research and ensure that they are both properly equipped and physically capable. Though the climb is technically easy, the altitude and low temperature make this a difficult and dangerous trek. Acclimatisation is essential, and even then most people suffer some degree of altitude sickness. About 10 climbers die from this each year, together with an unknown number of local porters - figures for these are guessed at between 10-20.
Kilimanjaro summit is well above the altitude at which high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) can occur. All climbers will suffer considerable discomfort, typically shortage of breath, hypothermia and headaches, and though most young, fit people can make the Uhuru summit, a substantial number of trekers will abandon the attempt at a lower altitude.
The Ascent for Alzheimer's has a more than 90% rate for a successful summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, by allowing for 3 extra days of acclimatization as opposed to the more common 4 day hike time (7 day total ascent period). A 100% success rate in terms of safety is credited to a doctor that travels with the team. For everyone else who makes the attempt each year, approximately 20,000 people, less than half actually reach the summit.
Feel free to contact me with any of your questions and ideas, and I’ll be happy to get back to you as soon as possible!
Q: Do I get a tax receipt for my donation?
A: Yes, online donations of $15 or more get you a tax receipt via email. Offline donations of $15 or more, get you a tax receipt via post.
Q: Where does all the money go?
A: 100% of the funds go to the Alzheimer Society of BC to provide education and support for local families, advocacy with government, and funding for drug research.
Q: Is the Alzheimer Society of BC paying for your trip?
A: No. 100% of the trip is personally financed by me. 100% of all funds collected through donation go directly to the Alzheimer Society of BC.
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