Moms unite for trek

Local mom Mindy Cameron, whose 8-year-old son Christopher has a lethal genetic disease, attempted to climb Mt. Rainier in Washington last summer to raise money for medical research, but made it only about halfway to the top of the difficult slope.

This year she’s hoping to make it to the top of Mt. Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains and raise $10,000 for medical research. And, this time, she’s got the help of 18 local moms who will make the climb with her.

“I already had a built-in team, so I thought, why not?” Cameron said.

The group of Newport Beach moms, most of whom have never climbed a mountain before, will accompany Cameron on her Mt. Baldy trek June 19.

“We all said, ‘We’ll do it with you,’” said Karen Calhoun, whose children attend school with Cameron’s son.

The team will climb 10,068 feet above sea level to raise money and awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a deadly genetic disease that strikes young boys and has no cure.

“There are so many things in life that you can’t control, and it’s rare to have an opportunity to do something that can really make a difference,” said Newport Beach resident Patti Kohler, who has no climbing experience.

She and the other members of the team of moms have been training for weeks by taking hikes through the rocky terrain around the Crystal Cove area.

The team hopes to raise $10,000 to benefit Cure Duchenne, a Newport Beach-based charity that gives money for medical research on muscular dystrophy. So far, the group has put together about $6,000 in donations.

CureDuchenne raises money to fund medical research to find new treatments for the disease. Newport Beach residents Debra and Paul Miller founded CureDuchenne after their son was diagnosed with the disease in 2002.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy causes a loss of muscle mass in the young boys it affects.

Most boys diagnosed with the disease lose the ability to walk before they enter their teenage years, and many don’t live to graduate from high school.

Most of the moms on the climbing team live in the quiet Eastbluff neighborhood in Newport Beach. Their children go to school together at Eastbluff Elementary, where 8-year-old Christopher Cameron just transferred.

This is the first year that the shy second-grader has used a scooter to help him get around at school. Muscular dystrophy makes it harder for Christopher to walk.

Mindy Cameron has seen an outpouring of support and help from the other mothers at her son’s school this year, she said.

“We want to raise awareness and show support for another mom,” said climbing team member Kim Mishow.

How To Help

A team of local moms led by Newport Beach resident Mindy Cameron will climb Mt. Baldy on June 19 to raise money for the Newport Beach-based charity Cure Duchenne. For more information about the team’s climb or to make a donation, visit www.firstgiving.com/climb4chris.