‘s mountaineering career helped train him for one of his hardest ordeals — helping his mother as ruined her mind and body. When she died in 2009 at age 83, Arnette, a Fort Collins resident, wanted to do something to draw attention to the disease that is the .
With funding from , Alzheimer Immunotherapy and ., he came up with, a fundraising effort. With the climb of the world’s highest peaks completed, he’s now embarking on a tour to raise $1 million for the Alzheimer’s community.
Q: How does climbing mountains actually relate to raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease?
A: I get that question a lot. There are a lot of parallels between challenges of the disease and the challenges of climbing a mountain. When my mother was diagnosed, I started to learn about the disease and felt helpless because I didn’t know anything about it before. I thought, “What would have gotten me to learn about Alzheimer’s disease when I was in my 20s and 30s?” Not going to a lecture about it. But if someone invited me to a , and they talked about Alzheimer’s, then I would’ve been there in a minute. For the mountaineering, of course, but I would have listened.
Q: What surprises the people who come for the mountaineering stories? A: A lot of people just don’t understand the disease — that you might choke to death because your brain confuses swallowing with breathing. By combining mountain climbing and information and a little entertainment, I can reach that is not the typical person who hears about Alzheimer’s.
Q: What did your mother think about your climbing career? Did she climb? Was she a hiker?
A: My mom was a ” mom. I remember, when I got back from the first big peak I climbed, in the , she said, ‘!’
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com
