MARYSVILLE — Nancy LaMont learned to love mountain climbing soon after moving to Snohomish County from Los Angeles in 1996.
Her living room walls show off photographs taken from the summits of Rainier, Adams, Baker, Olympus, St. Helens, Index and Glacier Peak. The centerpiece photo is one shot in September 2005 at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Fit and happy, LaMont and her husband Jack wear big grins at 19,340 feet.
Eight months after that triumph, LaMont was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A climber, hiker, biker and Mountaineers Club instructor, LaMont’s life changed seemingly overnight.
“It was a shock. I tried to depend on my faith and stay strong for my family,” LaMont said. “But I ignored all the emotions and that wasn’t healthy.”
For the next two years, LaMont, now 51, fought with cancer, chemotherapy, weight gain, sleep apnea, osteoporosis, arthritis and a resulting deep depression.
Nevertheless, in June 2007, she participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of North Snohomish County with a successful team she called Cure 4 Sure. Her family, co-workers and neighbors were involved, but it was the contact with others who had suffered through cancer that was most meaningful, she said.
“I felt I really needed to be connected with those who shared the experience, who knew what I was going through,” LaMont said.
With her cancer now in remission, LaMont is the publicity chairwoman for this year’s fundraising effort, and organizers are glad to have her on board.
“Nancy is one of the most kind-hearted, proactive and genuine people I know,” said Kelly Crawford, regional spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society. “Her passion, dedication and enthusiasm for the Relay For Life is inspiring and noteworthy.”
Ten years of mountain climbing prepared her for her new role, LaMont said.
“I am not a public speaker, but the publicity job sounded fun,” she said. “I love challenges and overcoming fears.”
Fear of death is something LaMont faced even before her cancer diagnosis.
She almost died at the summit of Mount Rainier one year when a group of climbers she was leading were stopped during their descent by a whiteout that came out of nowhere, she said.
Freezing, delirious and in danger of falling into a deadly sleep that surely could have claimed her, LaMont managed to make it down the mountain with her fellow climbers.
“Mountain climbing was my life, but I had to bury Nancy the climber. My husband misses me as a climbing partner and it really does hurt not be climbing anymore,” she said. “I had to resurrect a new me. Just like a rock climber does, you have to focus on your path. You have to work on those fears.”
These days, LaMont stays busy with her home-based business called Bee Royally Organized, her membership in the Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce and as a disaster preparedness volunteer.
Along with letting people know about this year’s Relay for Life, LaMont also is looking for teammates for her own relay group and invites people to e-mail her at team.cure4sure@gmail.com.
“I’m not saying there won’t be a time when I fall into a crevasse of depression about my cancer, but now I know how to deal with it,” she said. “There can be a comeback after cancer.”
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
On your marks
The kickoff event for the North Snohomish County Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society is set for 6 tonight, Kellogg Marsh Grange, 67th Avenue NE and 100th Street NE in Marysville. Participants can learn more about the fundraiser, meet the event leaders, join or form relay teams and enjoy snacks. The Relay for Life of North Snohomish County, the 10th annual fundraiser, is scheduled for June 13 and 14 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. For more information, e-mail Kelly Crawford at kelly.crawford@cancer.org.
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