That's why Mableton resident Melissa Snipes has decided to take up such a challenge by climbing Atlanta's Equitable Building at 100 Peachtree St., as part of the American Lung Association's annual "Fight for Air Climb." The fundraiser supports the health organization's fight for clean air and healthy lungs.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Snipes will be among 400 climbers walking up the 35-story office building, among the tallest skyscrapers in the city. The cost is $25 to climb 32 stories or $30 to climb the stairs twice, plus a $100 fundraising minimum. To register, call (770) 434-5864 or visit www.lungusa.org.
Snipes, a 38-year-old church administrator, and her friends have formed a special team, Pounding the Pavement for Peggy, in honor of her mother, Peggy Yonge of Houston, Texas, who has recently beaten two unrelated forms of lung cancer for the second time in 10 years.
Snipes said her mother has never smoked or been overweight and is physically active, which made the diagnosis so puzzling for her family. Shortness of breath, chronic coughing and chronic chest pain are some of the warning signs of lung disease, according to the American Lung Association.
"When you think about people who battle lung cancer, you instantly think they're a smoker and they did it themselves," Snipes said. "This has definitely been an eye-opening and learning experience for us to know there are other reasons you have lung cancer."
Yonge has recently battled through six rounds of chemotherapy and a surgery that has left her with just one lung. But her daughter said she is doing really well now and looks as if nothing has happened.
"I've got a lot of friends who have really gotten to know my mom over the years and think a lot of her," said Snipes, who has a 21-month-old daughter with her husband Kyle Snipes, St. Pius X Catholic High School girl's basketball coach.
"My mom's the type of person that if you meet her, you instantly like her. She's interested in you and will ask about you and enjoys everybody. When my friends found out she was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago it was pretty hard for everyone to take. They've been really supportive of me and her throughout this whole process."
Other members of Pounding the Pavement for Peggy include friends Kim Turner and Meredith Smiles, both of Marietta, and Shannon Greenwald of Mableton. They've been practicing by climbing stairways at work.
They've also so far raised $1,100 from other friends and relatives, which is $100 over their goal.
Snipe's brother and sister-in-law will compete in the Austin, Texas version of the climb also on next Saturday.
The Fight for Air Climb is a way to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise money to fund the American Lung Association's programs in Georgia, according to organizers. It also provides a unique cross training challenge in which participants can push their legs and lungs to their fullest potential.
"Our climb participants are truly fighting to help those with asthma, emphysema and many other lung diseases breathe easier through education, research and advocacy," said Alana Whitaker, event coordinator.
"We are all affected by the quality of air we breathe. I am so glad that Melissa has chosen to honor her mother this way. Hers is a great story of triumph over a terrible lung disease."
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