Raymond Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Raela McVey poses for a few pictures after completing the grueling climb up the Columbia Tower in Seattle on Sunday, March 10.
Raymond Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Raela McVey completed her 10th Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Stair Climb on March 10. The event is now in its 28th year and has raised over $17M to help fund and find a cure for cancer. Over 2,000 firefighters from around the country took part in the annual event that climbs over 1,300 steps to the top of the Columbia Tower in Seattle.
How it started
McVey first tried the event in 2009 after hearing about it online and felt it would be a great experience and cause to be a part of. During her first year she knew little about how the event worked and raised around the minimum amount of funds to climb and didn't have a sponsor. "I saw it online and signed up," she said.
"At first I didn't think we could do it because we were such a small department compared to most of the ones that climb in it. But once I realized we could, I signed up as fast as I could."
During her second year, she once again climbed without a sponsor and noticed other climbers carrying pictures of cancer patients, survivors, and those who lost their battle along with them on the climb. Just before her climb she was given a picture to carry to the top and has since carried a name with her on each climb. Over the next few years, she gradually expanded her fundraising and set a goal to raise at least $1,500 of which she consistently met.
This year, she was able to raise $3,000 through fundraisers and donations and still has until the end of the month to raise more. She held a 50/50 raffle that raised $1,750 with the winner receiving half the pot. Instead of taking the money the winner donated all the winnings back to McVey for the climb. 7th Street Coffee in Raymond held a last minute take-over on Monday, March 4, just days before the climb, and helped McVey raise another $300 in just a few hours.
A 'why' leads to 'push'
For many of the firefighters who have joined the event over its 28 years, the main reasoning has been because they not only see the toll cancer takes on their communities, but also the personal battles they have witnessed. According to McVey, it's one of the biggest driving forces behind her push to make it to the top. "I don't look at my score or my time. My only goal is to make it to the top," she said. "I just think about why I am there. Why I am pushing myself to make it to the top. My battle that day is so small compared to the battle those who are fighting or have fought cancer have had to go through. I want it to be unselfish. I'm not there for me, I am there for all of them."
She continued, "There's a reason I am there. I just try to focus on the purpose of why I am there and it leads me to the top. Everyone there supports one another. You never pass another climber. There have been times when a climber has had trouble and another climber has slowed down and climbed with them the rest of the way because we're all there for the same cause. It's not about us."
Training hard
McVey has found ways to train leading up to the stair climb citing the need for the extra conditioning to climb the almost endless flights of stairs. She normally gets herself into all her bunker gear as often as possible. Whether to just climb the stairs at the Raymond Fire Department or, thanks to the new location of Thorbeckes in South Bend, would spend time on the stair climb machine.
"It was honestly too funny," she said. "I would go into Thorbeckes with all my gear on and hop onto the stair climb machine. People would just kind of stare at me and I would just do my thing. Everyone has been 100% percent supportive of it all and would give me encouragement."
Most of the firefighters who partake in the event train for weeks and even months prior. McVey has spoken with many about their training regiment to learn how they prepare. Most stated they trained one way one year and then tried another way the next year in hopes of getting in better shape. "They were all honest and basically said you're never totally prepared," McVey chuckled. "I've had to get creative with my training because there's nowhere in Raymond or anywhere nearby that has a tall enough building to climb. Honestly, nothing really compares to climbing all the flights of stairs."
Again next year?
The big question was whether or not McVey planned to make the journey to the top of the Columbia Tower next year. Her answer: of course. She plans to get even more active with her fundraising next year, but only plans to set her goal at a modest $1,500. "But given the $3,000 I was able to raise this year I might need to step it up a bit," she said. "That'll be tough to follow but with how much support I have gotten I don't think it would be impossible."
"It's meant so much to me to get all the support from the community," she said. "I can't wait to do it all again next year. Maybe I'll even get a few more of us from RFD to do it too."