'Making A Difference': Hundreds Conquer Stairs In Fight For Air Climb
DENVER (CBS4)- Hundreds of climbers took on the stairwell of Denver's tallest building Sunday morning. The annual Fight for Air Climb, totaling 56 floors to the top of the Republic Plaza building raises money for the American Lung Association.
"Today I'm climbing for my husband Matthew who is a stage 4 lung cancer survivor," said Jennifer Arensdorf. "[Matthew] was diagnosed in March of 2016, he was 32 years old."
This was the third time Jennifer climbed the 1,098 steps to the top of Denver's tallest skyscraper, now four years since Matthew's diagnosis.
"Our hope lies in different options, new treatments and ideas so anything that's propelling that forward is what gives us hope, it's the light at the end of the tunnel," said Jennifer.
This Fight for Air Climb raises money for the American Lung Association, to further advance treatments like those helping Matthew.
This climb is a challenge for anyone, but especially if you are missing half a lung like Jamie Rippy, a mother of two from Castle Rock.
"Stairs seem to be where I notice it the most with my lungs. They took out my lower left lobe, half of my left lung, so stairs are where I notice it the most, so we'll see," she said.
Jamie never smoked a day in her life, but was diagnosed with the cancer in 2018 at the age of 32.
After surgery removed a portion of her lung, even the most basic movement was a struggle.
"I would literally just walk from the living room to the bathroom and be out of breath, so yeah, I never thought I would be able to do something like this," she said.
Jamie made it to the top, surrounded by friends and family and filled with gratitude.
"Know that what you're doing is making a difference. It's making a difference in people's lives, so thank you for coming out and supporting and keep doing it," said Jamie.
Jennifer and Matthew Arensdorf have been fundraising since his diagnosis in 2017. So far, their nonprofit Arensforce has raised $76,400 for lung cancer research.
LINKS: Arensforce | Fight For Air Climb
About 800 people climbed the Republic Plaza Building for the event on Sunday. They raised $215,000 to fund lung cancer research and programs to help Coloradans who suffer from lung disease.
