Climbing for a Cause

Published in the Fairfield Citizen~News, 7/20/07, by Rita Papazian

Hints at the direction Heather Ann Brauer's life would take surfaced early.

In first grade at North Stratfield Elementary School she recalls winning a first-place award for creating "Quick Catch" in the Invent America national contest. Her idea was to string a net across the driveway to prevent balls or other toys from rolling into the street and creating a possible danger.

"I was always into creating and inventing," said the 23-year-old doctorate candidate in molecular and cellular biology in the Paul Lampe lab at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash.

She was always looking to make something better. Today, this former Fairfield resident who lives and studies in Seattle has her mind set on a loftier goal to make something better.
Brauer is joining more than 100 women and men from across the United States who will strive for the summits of six mountain peaks in the Pacific Northwest, Eastern Europe and Africa this summer as part of the 10th anniversary of the "Climb to Fight Breast Cancer" presented by Safeway. Organized by the Hutchinson center, the fundraiser, in its ninth year, is anticipated to raise at least $500,000. Brauer's personal goal is to raise $5,000.

She has a personal reason for setting off in early August on her hike up the mountain. Her mother, Cindy Brauer of Congress Street, is a cancer survivor and so is her mother's close friend, Judy Connell, who Heather calls her "aunt."

In a letter to prospective donors, Brauer said, "On a beautiful day in Seattle you can see the magnificent backdrop of Mount Rainier, a symbol of beauty, grace and strength. Thus, it is only fitting that I dedicate my climb to two beautiful women who carry themselves with immense grace. They are both incredibly strong breast cancer survivors. My mother has been a constant model of love and perseverance in my life, always giving to others with all of her heart."
Climbing up Mount Rainer with a 50-pound pack on her back is the least this 5-foot-4-inch, 107-pound woman can do to pay tribute to her mother and aunt, who have successfully faced their bouts with cancer.

Brauer described Mount Rainier as a "beautifully sculpted dormant volcano." It is encased in more than 35 square miles of snow and glacial ice. Its peak reaches 14,441 feet into the clouds.
"It's exciting and for a really good cause. And I think about how my mother has fought. It's worth raising money for," said Brauer, whose thesis is focused on finding a biomarker a protein in the human blood that would help in identifying breast cancer and thus lead to early detection and increase the survival rate.

"While my project is far from finding a cure, the finding of these biomarkers could dramatically decrease the mortality rate associated with breast cancer and better the quality of life for breast cancer patients and their families," she said.

To prepare for her trek, Brauer has been doing extensive training, getting up at 5 a.m. to hike up the mountain. Also, she competes in triathlons and recently ran a half marathon.

Brauer always has been an active person. She competed in cross-country events at Fairfield High School before transferring to a private school in Kent. She went on to Kenyon College, where she majored in chemistry and continued her studies at science camps while an undergraduate. During her freshman year of college, she became active with a woman's center and participated in a lot of events raising awareness and funds for breast cancer. Upon graduation, she enrolled at the University of Washington, where she is now doing her post-graduate work, which she describes as "neat" in the way researchers, like herself, can do something to better people's lives and "help a great part of the population.

Brauer's love for hands-on projects harkens back to her studies at Fairfield Woods Middle School, where she recalled in sixth grade creating a quiz board, which was a box with an electric circuit of the Great Barrier Reef. Green and red lights would indicate right and wrong answers.
While she misses her family in Fairfield, which includes her parents, Jeff and Cindy, her aunt and uncle, and her grandmother, she loves living in the Northwest, which gives her opportunities for outdoor adventures such as hiking up Mount Rainier.

Reflecting upon her adventure ahead, Brauer said she is mentally and physically preparing herself. "Climbing is easy. Fundraising is the hard part," said Brauer, who sees firsthand with her work in research what donations can do to help with the breast cancer cause.

"I'd climb anything to get rid of breast cancer," said Brauer, noting how government funding has been cut substantially in recent years. "Getting money is very competitive."

Christi Loso, spokeswoman for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said Brauer is "a young woman with remarkable drive and vision, who is just beginning to fulfill her passions for science and helping others."

Anyone interested in helping Brauer reach her financial goal as she climbs Mount Rainier can send a check, made out to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, to Heather Ann Brauer, 1100 Fairview Ave. N., Mailstop M5-C800, Seattle, Wash., 98109.