Tulsa Man Set To Climb Kilimanjaro To Fight Breast Cancer

By LeAnne Taylor, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Ken Claxton is a man on a mission.

It's an uphill climb for Claxton, 19,341 feet to be exact. He plans to trek up Kenya's Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money to fight breast cancer.

The 57-year-old father of three is training for the trip of a lifetime.

"I try to vary it every day between the stairs at Warren Place, the Thorton Y, I'm the crazy person on the trail with the big pack on the turnpike trail. The treadmill comes in handy when I run out of time, the heavy bag's a good workout when I'm trying to vary it up between walking and biking and just different activities," said Ken Claxton.

Ken says he knows a lot of people who have had breast cancer and he's hoping this fundraiser will be the knockout punch. He's asking for a dollar donation for each foot up the mountain and that money stays in Oklahoma to help patients fighting breast cancer.

"If everybody would give a dollar we need 19,000 people to do it. It's a little bit of money and it makes a big difference," said Ken Claxton.

The ten day journey won't be easy. He'll have to go through a change in altitude, making it hard to breathe and low temperatures which could cause hypothermia but Ken remains optimistic that he can do this.

"We're taking the Lemosho route which is the longest most remote route on Kilimanjaro. We start day one in the jungle on a trail and we have an armed park ranger with us because of the wildlife in Africa. After that it's a steady climb high, sleep low up to the summit," said Ken Claxton.

Claxton knows he's in for a long hard climb, but believes it will be worth it to help those who have faced greater obstacles than him.

If you'd like to help Ken reach his goal, you can log on to Facebook and then search 'Climb for the Cure.' Claxton's trip is scheduled for mid-September.

Speaking of September, the Race for the Cure is coming up September 25th at the CityPlex Tower in south Tulsa.

To join LeAnne Taylor's Race For The Cure team, visit her page on NewsOn6.com.