Malden Woman Taking On Patagonia In Memory Of Late Mother

MALDEN, MA — As the only two women in a family of six, Valerie Cekovsky and her mother shared a special bond. Forty years separated the two, and Cekovsky felt like they were starting to build on that relationship as she entered adulthood.

Cekovsky was 22 when her mother, Janet, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare type of cancer that builds up in the bone marrow. Janet, a breast cancer survivor, started chemotherapy once more.

Cekovsky said this time around, the chemotherapy would work but she would feel awful, or she would feel great but the chemotherapy wouldn't take. On the day before Thanksgiving 2014, Cekovsky's mother was "ripped away" from her.

"I feel like I got gipped from the relationship I could've had with my mom as a younger adult," she said. "I felt like we were just starting to get to a point where we were becoming much closer and appreciating each other more."

As the five-year anniversary of her mother's death approaches, Cekovsky is preparing to hike Patagonia. She will be part of a 13-person team consisting of multiple myeloma patients, caregivers, family members and doctors. The climb will take place Nov. 9-18 and is a joint initiative between the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, CURE Media Group, and Celgene.

To prepare for the climb, the team hiked Mt. Hood in Portland, OR in July. Cekovsky also has experience hiking throughout New England and parts of Switzerland and Germany.

Cekovsky has raised over $12,000 in support of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. She said the support from family and friends has been "overwhelming and a bit humbling." Now, Cekovsky's looking forward to tackling the glaciers, deep valleys and challenging peaks at the southern tip of South America.

"I feel like I'm doing what i can to keep her memory alive," she said.

Click here to contribute to Valerie Cekovsky's fundraising campaign.