The 2023 Summit Challenge, being held Oct. 15 in Berkeley Heights and designed to be a community builder that’s accessible to all, will build on the foundation’s previous efforts to promote a better quality of life for cancer patients.
For cancer survivors, the road to recovery can be an obstacle course dotted with physical and mental trials. While the journey is not an easy one, beating cancer is achievable with the help and support of the dedicated medical professionals at Summit Health.
Over the years, Summit Health Cares Foundation has sponsored events to raise funds for the group’s Cancer Comfort Project. According to Dr. Laura Balsamini, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Summit Health and 2023 Summit Challenge Chairperson, the event, designed to be a community builder and accessible to all, will build on the foundation’s previous efforts to promote a better quality of life for cancer patients.
“The Summit Challenge will take place on Oct. 15 at the Mount Carmel Society, located at 56 River Road in Berkeley Heights,” Dr. Balsamini said. “This is our second year for this event and the response has been excellent. We have already surpassed the number of registrants we had last year and participation is still growing.”
Dr. Balsamini noted that although the challenges include inflatable obstacles, ropes, rings, jumping, crawling, balancing and climbing, the course can be enjoyed by racers of all physical fitness levels.
“We have had various types of fundraising events, including our gala,” she added. “However, we felt that the challenge format offered parallels to the obstacles that patients experience as they strive to recover.”
Cancer survivor Dr. Elizabeth Nikol, DBH, LCSW, A-CBT, Director of Behavioral Health at Summit Health, explained that there will be helpers stationed throughout the obstacle course to help racers. For Dr. Nikol, this year’s Summit Challenge is especially meaningful because it coincides with her 20-year “cancer-versary.”
Although the event’s challenges include inflatable obstacles, ropes, rings, jumping, crawling, balancing and climbing, the course can be enjoyed by racers of all physical fitness levels.
“I was diagnosed in 2003, when I was only 29 years old,” Dr. Nikol recalled. “It was a complete fluke. I had lost 10 pounds and one day I inadvertently discovered a lump on my breast while I was in the shower. By most standards, I was too young to have breast cancer, but there I was with stage IIA Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. After a comprehensive diagnosis, I began a series of treatments that included chemotherapy, radiation and a clinical study for Herceptin, which is now a commonly used cancer treatment. Like many cancer patients, I no longer knew myself. I lost my confidence … I got divorced … I lost my fertility … and I struggled mentally. Thankfully, I got the best care and the nurses, physicians and social workers fought for me even when I wanted to give up.”
Cancer survivors like Dr. Elizabeth Nikol, DBH, LCSW, A-CBT, director of behavioral health at Summit Health, and Michelle Perry, a high school physics teacher and track coach, are participating in the Summit Challenge.
Cancer survivors like Dr. Nikol and Michelle Perry, a high school physics teacher and track coach, are participating in the Summit Challenge to support the Cancer Comfort Project. Perry, who is an accomplished athlete, was also surprised by her cancer diagnosis. Luckily, her cancer was detected early enough to be addressed and completely eradicated with a bilateral mastectomy. Although Perry’s cancer journey to recovery was much shorter than Dr. Nikol’s, she also is grateful for the therapy and support she received from the Cancer Comfort Project.
“I lost my grandmother to cancer and in her honor, I have participated in many fundraisers, but it was always for research and treatments that were far in the future. The kind of mental and emotional support provided by Summit Health and the Cancer Comfort Project are here and now and they are helping people every day.”
The Summit Challenge invites individuals and teams to fundraise by soliciting donations for their effort in conquering the Summit Challenge. In addition to the race, the entire community is invited to attend a festival that features music, food trucks, an activity-filled kids zone, physio-massage therapy and a vendor area.
Individuals and teams still have time to register. For more information, visit takethesummitchallenge.com.
