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Nurse reaches scary heights to raise money by Mary Helen Yarborough Public Relations Turning the tables on fitness trainers and pushing them to gut-wrenching, sweat-inducing exhaustion will help raise money for Hollings Cancer Center.   Justin Price, V Health Club trainer, takes one on the chin from registered nurse Kim Stuart. Stuart is raising thousands of dollars for the Hollings Cancer Center.   Train the Trainer, an event developed by MUSC’s Kim Stuart, R.N., and V Health Club, will be used to raise money for MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center and its future Lung Cancer Center. Train the Trainer will be held Sept. 10-14 at V Health Club located at 360 Concord St., in the Aquarium Wharf.   Anyone can participate in the event, both V members and non-members. Participants will purchase time to train a trainer at $10/minute. The idea is to come up with the most challenging regime—planks, pushups, jumps, etc.—during the minutes used to raise money. Thinking big, going places The training event is the brainchild of Stuart, who trained at V Health Club in preparation for climbing Mount Rainier in Washington, which she did as a fundraiser for Hollings Cancer Center. To help meet her overall fundraising goals, she approached V Health Club about working with her on an event to raise money for the future Lung Cancer Center at MUSC.   Stuart has worked for more than a year caring for lung cancer patients in Hollings Cancer Center. She has been inspired by the strength and courage of her patients and the dedication of the Hollings Cancer Center staff, and she has searched for a way to contribute in their honor beyond her work environment.   Stuart's efforts led her to dangerous heights and personal challenges. She decided to take on Mount Ranier in a 14,410-foot climb to the summit.   To prepare, Stuart began training with V Health Club trainers Tim Church and Justin Price. She trained for more than a year and then joined a team of eight climbers for the ascent June 11-14.   Accompanied by her 21-year-old son, Chris, Stuart climbed Mount Rainier raising $1 for every foot conquered. But the climb was cut short due to weather and safety conditions. The climbers made it to the last camp at 11,500 feet before they all agreed to descend. None of the climbers from any of the several teams this session made the summit due to a variety of life-threatening reasons—60 mph winds, dehydration and difficult timelines, Stuart said.   “It’s scary,” she said. “Sometimes you’re on a 2-foot ledge and you look down and don’t see anything. You drop and there is nothing to catch you. You learn a lot about yourself. … Climbers actually use Mount Ranier to cut their teeth in preparation for climbing Mount Everest, which has many of the same challenges: glaciation, crevasses, rope-climbing, etc.”   Stuart said that she gained greatly, in a number of ways, from the experience.   “It’s all about the journey,” Stuart said. “It’s really life-changing. I think I learned the most I’ve ever learned during that experience.”   Stuart, who still is about $4,000 shy of her fundraising goal, said she measured her success in two ways: “Personally, though there was no summit, it was a really good journey; and it was a success in raising money for the Hollings Cancer Center,” she said.   Meanwhile, V club plans to contribute $7,000 to Stuart’s Hollings Cancer Center fund.   “I want to see Kim reach her goals. She’s worked so hard personally and mentally to prepare for her journey. We are inspired by her passion for her work and her cause,” said Tracie Mathewes, V Health Club general manager.   For more information or to schedule a time, call 723-3334 or drop by V Health Club.     Friday, July 27, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.