67-year-old Asheville native with Parkinson's will climb Kilimanjaro to fund research
MOUNT MITCHELL - Lucretia Pintacuda, an Asheville native with Parkinson’s Disease, tackled a Mount Mitchell hike on July 21 as one of her final conditioning outings to ready her for her ultimate goal: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Pintacuda and eight others will climb Mount Kilimanjaro Aug. 7 with Team Fox, a grassroots fundraising program for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Joined by fellow trainee Joanne Simmons, Pintacuda took a break from unloading their hiking gear in the cloud-obscured parking lot at Mount Mitchell ― the highest peak in the Eastern United States at 6,684 feet elevation ― to speak about what the mission meant to her.
"I wanted a new focus in my life,” Pintacuda said. “I wanted purpose, I wanted meaning. And I wanted something that would be personal to me. I wanted to combine these things that I was looking for. So I was looking for a fundraising event that I could join, and the Fox Foundation has many, many fundraising events.”
Pintacuda said as soon as she saw the Kilimanjaro expedition, she knew it was what she had been looking for. Participants must raise at least $10,000 for Team Fox to support Parkinson's research, all of which goes directly towards the research.
Kristina Magana, MJFF spokesperson, said these grassroots programs are valuable not only for the funds they raise, but also create visibility and a sense of community.
“People put their heart and soul into these Team Fox fundraisers,” Magana said. “Kilimanjaro — climbing and being part of this expedition with others in the community — I think there's really nothing like it.”
For Pintacuda, the climb is not only a physical challenge and pledge to help fight Parkinson’s. It is also symbolic of her personal journey with the disease, and her desire to live a full and vibrant life. Pintacuda said she has been determined since she was diagnosed not to let the disease change her relationship with the outdoors that began during her childhood in the WNC mountains.
“There wasn't much to do; this area was very rural, people still used outhouses and things,” Pintacuda said. “And so, what we did was we went hiking and camping and rock hopping. So I developed a love for the outdoors from when I was a kid.”
Pintacuda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2017 but didn’t reveal her diagnosis to her friends and family at first. It wasn’t until after her father died a year ago that she decided to come out about her illness by announcing her involvement with Team Fox.
“My ultimate goal would be to try to help to remove some of the stigma of Parkinson's,” Pintacuda said. “So that when people hear that somebody has been diagnosed, their thought isn’t, ‘Oh, my grandfather had it and that was a horrible death. I'm so sorry.’ Instead, they could think, 'Wow, people with Parkinson's can really live a good life.’ And if we can remove some of that stigma, people might be willing to get diagnosed sooner and might take better care of their health.”
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MJFF has raised over $1.5 billion since its conception in 2000, according to a news release, more than $100 million of which has been contributed by Team Fox alone since 2006.
“It really has become a place where we have partnered with researchers, the biopharma industry, patients and visionary philanthropists all around the world to really help meet some of these urgent needs,” Magana said.
Kilimanjaro, which lies in the East African nation of Tanzania, is the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, with a summit of 19,341 feet. Pintacuda’s team will begin their 11-day journey at an elevation of 7,500 feet, and will ascend via the Lemosho Route through five different climate zones, from the heat and humidity of the jungle to the arctic cold of Uhuru Peak.
“It’s going to challenge all of us,” Pintacuda said. “I don't think there's anybody in our group that has really done this level of an adventure.”
Pintacuda at age 67 is the oldest in the group of nine, and one of only four climbers with Parkinson's. This has only made her more motivated to achieve her goal. A smile crept onto her face as she described how she sees her role among the group.
“I am the only woman with Parkinson's on the team, I am the grandmother of the team, I am the senior representative of the team,” Pintacuda said. “And the three guys that are going that have Parkinson's all have early-onset Parkinson's, so they are young enough to be my children.”
As she stood in the chilly morning fog of Mount Mitchell, Pintacuda was only weeks away from the start of the Aug. 7 expedition. She said she isn’t afraid of being injured during the intense trek, but is nervous that she won’t make it to the summit. All the same, she knows her supporters are rooting for her either way.
“They all tell me that it's not getting to the top, it's taking the journey,” Pintacuda said.
Pintacuda has documented her journey on her blog, www.TrekkingUpward.com, where she will also post updates on her Kilimanjaro mission.
Donate to Pintacuda’s fundraiser and see more information on the expedition on her Team Fox webpage.
For more information on Parkinson's Disease or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research’s, visit the foundation’s website at www.michaeljfox.org
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Iris Seaton is a news intern for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville native with Parkinson's will climb Kilimanjaro
