When John Ellison was diagnosed with terminal cancer, there was only one option. In his words, ‘to keep on climbing, taking in the beauty around me and enjoying every challenge that lies ahead’. In January 2013, he founded Climbers Against Cancer, which has already given away over 100,000 dollars in grants. You may have seen their brightly coloured CAC t-shirts out and about at the local wall. Adventure Medic caught up with John to learn more about the charity and to find out how he is getting on.
Please can you describe the aims of Climbers Against Cancer?
The goals of Climbers Against Cancer are not only to raise funds to help fight cancer by supporting research but also, just as important, to raise awareness of the disease and highlight the problems that not only the cancer sufferers go through, but also their families and friends. The idea behind the T-shirts was to design a garment that not only looked smart and was comfortable to wear, but that also carried a very strong message. CAC stands out very well and pushes people to ask the question ‘why CAC’? Explaining the reasons straight away opens up a conversation that in turn further increases awareness.
Tell us about setting up the charity? What has been your proudest moment so far?
I have to admit that although I knew climbers were a special group of people – and I know a lot of climbers around the world – I feel extremely honoured and humbled by the response so far. I immediately felt a lot of strength in all the climbers who offered their support and I feel proud that everyone has reacted in this way. To me, this echoes my first feelings back in September in Paris [when the charity was first conceived].
It goes a long way to show just how orientated climbing is to individuals and their families. I guess the biggest hurdle was finding the strength to push CAC forward whilst dealing with the stresses and strains that terminal cancer brings to your door. I am determined to keep going as long as I can and to put Climbers Against Cancer in a position that, if the worst scenario comes to fruition, it will carry on going long after I have left the building, or so to speak!
As for the best moment, well that is a difficult one as I treat everyone the same and see us all as equals. I have met some fantastic climbers along the way and some huge stars in our sport but I am just as excited when I read a letter of support from a young climber I hardly know or see a climber smiling away as they put their CAC t-shirt on for the first time. Given my predicament it may seem a strange thing to say, but I am truly happy.
CAC is known for its brightly coloured t-shirts and hoodies. Apart from these and individual donations, does the charity have any other sources of funding?
As the visual aspect of the charity has helped it grow through the large numbers now sporting the shirts, it has also increased the interest in making donations or running fundraising events across the globe. The ideas can vary from the sale of baked cakes in Scotland, to many climbing gym events, such as climbing the height of the most well known mountains, Everest, K2, to the running of competitions as a fundraising idea.
It is great that you list the charity’s grants on the website. What criteria do the trustees use in awarding funding?
For any nominated organisation, the trustees make a selection based on the following criteria:
- The organisation has, as a primary purpose, cancer research (as opposed to patient care or treatment);
- The organisation has administrative costs less than 15%;
- The organisation supports research for a diversity of cancer types;
- The organisation is internationally regarded and active as supported by evidence of collaborations, published research studies, and funding;
- The organisation is active across the country/countries in which they operate;
- The organisation operates in a country/countries that has not been over-represented in prior grants. CAC has a mission to distribute grants worldwide.
How has climbing helped in dealing with your own experience of cancer? Can you let us know how you are getting on?
Pre-diagnosis I had always taken part in many sporting activities along with climbing, for example skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking. I think that having a preference for the more adventurous type of sports has definitely helped me deal with this latest ‘adventure’. I guess there is no more extreme challenge in life than dealing with ones mortality.
The climbing community is very unique one and I always felt the support from the global family would help me overcome the dark moments. Currently my blood counts are quite stable and the large number of tumours around the body that were initially extremely aggressive seem to be in a controlled state. That said, the bone pains seem far more intense and aggressive as time passes and the specialists are regularly looking at ways of dealing with pain management.
Do you feel that characterising cancer as a fight, a battle or indeed, a climb is helpful? Or does it put more pressure on people?
I think that dealing with any illness is a very personal journey and everyone has their own ways of overcoming not only the physical aspect of the disease but also the phycological element. I feel fortunate that I came to terms with the situation very quickly and learning to live with the disease rather than dying of it was instrumental for me. I like to challenge myself and overcoming the bad days makes the good days so much more enjoyable.
We think climbing can be a great means of rehabilitation for those who have been unwell. Would you agree?
I definitely agree. Climbing includes many aspects of rehabilitation and as mentioned earlier I think it can help both physically and physiologically. Having spent time recently with para-climbers from around the globe at the World Climbing Championships in Dijon, Spain, it is very evident that the sport has much to offer to those overcoming such challenges in life as loss of sight, amputations, neurological problems etc.
What are the charity’s hopes and aims for the future?
It’s amazing when I think back to the official launch of the charity on 23 January 2013 and realise how much has happened in such a short period of time and how far the charity has reached. Each day when looking at the destinations of orders it is fantastic to see the new locations where the shirts are heading. I still feel despite the huge support that we have only scratched the surface and we need to keep working hard to increase awareness of the campaign.
In time it would be nice to have made a donation in every country possible and to have reached areas many charities haven’t. Metaphorically speaking ‘In life we are all climbers’ so who knows how far we can take this campaign? Even more so if it is endorsed by people from other sporting disciplines.
Lots of our readers are climbers – how can they go about supporting or getting involved with CAC?
All the CAC products including t-shirts, hoodies, underwear and climbing holds are available from the website and are dispatched on a regular basis. Anyone wishing to make a direct donation can do so by using the orange ‘donate’ button and those wishing to organise fundraising events please contact me on john@climbersagainstcancer.org. All proceeds from the sale of garments goes towards various global cancer research facilities and none of the funds raised are used for expenses or administration. All volunteers including me give their time for free.
