A crowd of over 100 children, parents and volunteers packed together on the carpeted, artificial valley. Shouting over the DJ, Alex Smith sat with the next performer. No matter how well they climbed, he assured them, they would be an inspiration to these kids.
Rock Cancer was created and founded by CHS graduate Vara James, her mother Emily Gordon and cancer researcher Dr. Carl Koschmann. It’s a 6-year-old nonprofit that aims to give child cancer patients a chance to experience the newly growing sport of rock climbing. On Sept. 7 at 7:00 pm., Rock Cancer held its annual opening ceremony.
Planet Rock, the host climbing gym, is usually bustling with long-time climbers and curious beginners.
But on Sunday, the doors closed unusually early to prepare for the extravagant event. As folding tables and speakers were hauled across the gym, Smith sat with his teammates in a secluded, quiet room, preparing them mentally for their upcoming act. They can usually do this with ease, but now there was extra pressure to show the kids what climbing can be.
Rock Cancer meets on the first Friday of every month, at 6:00 pm. They often have pizza there, as well as free yoga sessions. The gym itself supports the program by not only offering a venue for Rock Cancer to host their event, but also by donating the necessary gear for climbing and allowing any program volunteer to enter the gym free of charge.
Smith is a leader of CHS’s climbing club and a captain on Planet Rock’s climbing team. He believes that Rock Cancer is a great resource because the patients might not have an outlet for rock climbing or other similar physical activities. Another prevalent issue is the lack of support in many communities for cancer patients.
“They may feel isolated because there’s not a lot of people they can talk to, and having this experience open to them is extremely important for these kids who are going through something that not a lot of people have to go through,” Smith said.
Smith thinks rock climbing is a particularly great activity for this program because it’s a highly social activity, and it became an official Olympic sport in 2020, which has helped it gain significant popularity.
11-year-old Max was seated right in front of the performing climbers. He was undergoing chemotherapy at the time of the opening and had never climbed before. Max’s parents were interested in seeing if he could take part in the program after seeing it on Instagram.
“And he was just in awe,” Smith said. “Jaw dropped the entire time.”
Smith is excited for Max’s likely return and development next month.
Rock Cancer has started this year’s climbing off with a bang, and many people have been supporting and participating in the program so far. Despite Rock Cancer’s main focus being for young cancer patients, anyone can show up for the program to hang out with the climbers and even do a little climbing yourself. To donate to or otherwise support Rock Cancer, visit rock-cancer.org.
