Climb 2 Cure

It might be cliche but it is still fairly accurate to compare the climb of a career to climbing a mountain.  Well, after 33 years of rocky scrabbles, plateaus, pitfalls, and steep ascents, I have decided that this is my summit.  I have enjoyed the adventures along the way up but now I think it is time to sit here beside my wife, Kate, and enjoy the beautiful view I (we) have earned.  

Which is to say, metaphor aside, I retired on April 30th, 2025 - my 55th birthday.  HOORAY!

But there are two problems:

1. I am not given to just sitting, beautiful views notwithstanding.

2. There is something we still are struggling to see in that view - a cancer-free world.

In an attempt to remedy both I am again supporting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and this time it’s a BIG double-whammy.  First, on June 2, 2025, I for the final time led Team KPMG as we once again rode 100 miles in the mountains around Lake Tahoe in America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride.  Having finished the metaphorical mountain of my career, it seems only fitting to seal the deal with some actual mountains on the bike.

But I had done Tahoe before.  Retiring is (I HOPE) a one-time thing, and so deserves a once in a lifetime event to commemorate it.  And so, in February of 2026 I will be climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  It too will have rocky scrabbles, plateaus, pitfalls, and steep ascents, and so its 19,300 ft peak seems the perfect capstone for a career.  

I take on both of these challenges, as always, in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I do these very hard things because they are (perversely) fun, but also so that others’ challenges (dealing with cancer, which is far less fun) can be made easier.  And it is working.  Cancer treatment improves every day, but we have a long way yet to climb before we reach the true summit - a world without cancer.

Please support me again.  This is a big one - a celebration of a life of working coming to a close and a new life devoted to family beginning - so please be generous.  Cancer needs a cure. 

Thank you!