ST. ALBERT, Alta. - An Alberta couple has successfully made it to the "roof of Africa" and by doing so raised money to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease.
"We had an unbelievable expedition with a fantastic group," Allan Pilotte, 54, said last week after reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak at 5,895 metres.
Pilotte, the owner of a home-building consulting firm in St. Albert, and his wife, Susan, left for Tanzania on Jan. 29 with the goal of raising at least $10,000 for the Alzheimer's Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories.
The duo made the trip with other climbers raising funds for breast cancer.
There was no word on whether they achieved their fundraising goal, 1/4- but the couple can check Kilimanjaro off their list of worldwide peaks to climb.
Pilotte has already scaled mountains in the Rockies and made it to the Mount Everest base camp.
He was inspired to make the climb for his mother, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and for his grandmother, who died from the disease nearly 10 years ago.
Half a million Canadians have Alzheimer's or related dementia. About 41,000 Albertans suffering from the disease, said Sylvie Keane, community development co-ordinator with the Alzheimer's Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories.
After their climb, the Pilottes continued their adventure by joining a safari. They are now heading back to Alberta.
Alberta couple make it to top of Kilimanjaro to raise money for Alzheimers
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Published on
February 16, 2009
- Published on January 1, 2010
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The Canadian Press ~ The News
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