Ep. 97 Andy Buerger: From Family Tragedy to Climbing for Hope
When Andy Buerger’s sister was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2004, he knew he wanted to do something to help. Unfortunately, his sister Jodi didn’t survive, but her courage and strength motivated Andy to turn his pain into a passion. He started a non-profit, Jodi's Climb for Hope, to raise money for cancer research by climbing mountains around the world.
Tragedy struck again in 2008. Andy’s wife, Jen, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and Climb for Hope expanded their efforts to include MS research. Jodi's Climb for Hope has raised $1 million for MS and breast cancer research by getting more than 300 people safely up mountains around the world. In 2019, they began including Paddle For Hope trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.
Andy is the author of “Carrying a Flag From Pain to Passion” and the co-host of the It’s the Climb Podcast. Andy shares how he navigates the peaks and valleys of his life.
In this episode of Flip Your Script with Kristi Piehl, Andy talks about his climbing adventures, his personal struggles and a few of the lessons he has learned along the way.
CHALLENGE FOR LISTENERS:
Find your flag. What's your flag? What's your purpose?
CLOSING QUOTE
“If you had
One shot
Or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted
In one moment
Would you capture it
Or just let it slip?”