About – The Reason | Climb for Hospice

About – The Reason

My name is Robyn Thomson, and I am going to climb the world’s tallest free-standing equatorial mountain.  By choice.   Seriously.   No, really.

I am a girl. A girly-girl. I am the anti-camper, the lover of cleanliness, the enemy of outdoor pursuits, and the despiser of physical exertion that does not somehow result in me getting a Dairy Queen Blizzard or a beer. Or both. But not together. (WORST. ICE CREAM FLOAT. EVER.)

I suspect that the journey I am undertaking is going to make me cry. I am a crier. (I can’t help it! It’s just my girliness coming out in liquid form!) As a way to make this adventure even more difficult (I’m smart like that), I have decided to blog every day until I leave, so that you can follow me as I train for this climb. I will workout, eat well, hike, camp, and do other similar un-fun things. You can laugh along with me all you like. In fact, you can laugh AT me if you like!

I do intend this to be entertaining and amusing, but in all honesty, there is a REASON why I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro…

In January of 2007, my best friend’s husband lost his life. As Kirk Holifield was driving home the evening of January 11th, he was the tragic victim of a case of mistaken identity, as he was killed in a drive-by shooting. The murderers thought he was someone else. Someone who drove the same damn type of truck as Kirk.

Kirk left behind two wonderful parents, a beautiful wife, a ten month old daughter, and (literally) hundreds of friends.

How? How do you EVER reconcile a loss like that? How do you even begin to understand what happened, why it happened, who it happened to… It’s not possible.

The Delta Hospice Society was someone to go to, and lean on, cry to, rage at, and disbelieve with.They were patient and understanding, never judging, always supporting. They gave when we needed it, and they took when we needed it.

My best friend lost the love of her life, her daughter lost a father, Kirk’s parents lost a beautiful son, their only child. It was so vast, and so frightening, and it was just this repetitive wave of crushing grief, going over us, and over us, and over us.

I know that I would not have ever made it through, without the help of Delta Hospice. I am eternally grateful.

When I was finally ready, I wanted to give back to Delta Hospice. I became a volunteer and I am proud to sit on their Vigil Team. But last winter I decided that I wanted to do more… In August 2010 I am going to endeavor to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa to raise $10,000 for the Delta Hospice Society.

Welcome to ClimbForHospice.com – I’m honoured to have you on this journey.

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