Fifty-five-year-old Wendy Booker is on a mission: to be the first person with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to climb the highest mountains on each of the world's continents, the Seven Summits. A daunting feat for even the ablest among us, Wendy views climbing mountains as an analogy for facing our challenges, whatever they may be.

“Climbing a mountain is just what having MS is like,” Wendy says. “It’s difficult. We get scared, and we can’t always get to the top. But when we want to give up, we have to keep going.”

Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis
Like many people who develop MS, Wendy’s symptoms began insidiously. She started having peculiar central nervous system (CNS) symptoms in her late 20’s when she experienced some paralysis, which resolved with steroids. In her late 30’s she lost vision in her left eye, which cleared on its own. Then, in 1989, her left side went numb. When she fell down at work while designing a store window, her doctor began piecing the puzzle together. An MRI, spinal tap, and evoked potential testing confirmed the MS diagnosis. Before 1993, no drug therapies existed for MS, but by the time Wendy was diagnosed, several had become available. Daily Copaxone injections help Wendy keep the MS in remission and slow its progress.

Running Marathons
The same year Wendy was diagnosed, a good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. When her friend suggested they run a marathon, Wendy, who had already done some running, agreed to the challenge, despite her doctor’s warnings that it would worsen her MS symptoms.

“We felt that if we pulled it off, who knew what else we could do,” Wendy says, adding, “my principle attitude is that if I’m going to end up in a wheelchair, what difference does it make whether it’s from running a marathon or MS?”

After several months of training, they completed the Boston Marathon—the first of several marathons Wendy would later run.

Climbing Mountains
In the fall of 2000, Wendy was offered a new challenge: to be part of the first team of people with MS climb to the top of Mt. McKinley (Denali). Accepting the challenge, she learned to climb in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and after the first attempt failed, summitted the 20,320-foot Alaskan peak in June of 2002.

Since then, Wendy has reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Vinson Massif in Antarctica, and Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia. In May she attempted to summit Mt. Everest in Nepal—the tallest mountain in the world—but a combination of weather, health concerns, and a flare-up of MS symptoms prevented the team from reaching the summit. She’s not discouraged though—it took two attempts to reach the top of each of the Seven Summits she has climbed. Wendy plans to try again in May of 2010.

“Getting to the top is irrelevant,” she says. “It’s about the journey, then you go about the next challenge.”

Wendy’s Mission
Although Wendy admits she sometimes thinks she is crazy to be climbing the Seven Summits, she says she gains a lot from ‘seeking the adventure around the next corner.’

“I love the joyful feeling of looking at what I can do when I’m on a mountain,” she says.

Wendy climbs not only for that joyful feeling, but also to raise MS awareness of, to inspire others who are suffering, and help raise funds to find a cure.
 
“This isn’t your mama’s MS,” she says. “Don’t write us off.”

Check out Wendy’s website for more information on Wendy’s climbs and work as a motivational speaker.

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