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| Belinda Lamoca and Ralph Cochrane are raising $150,000 in an innovative fundraiser for the MS Society. |
For most, Machu Picchu—once described by Canadian Poet Laureate Al Purdy as “a place like thunder and lightning”—seems out of reach.
The dream of traveling to a place out of a TV travel show often remains just that: a dream. The Andes Mountains hang just out of grasp, maintaining their status as a majestic panorama on a coffee table magazine.
But three Dalhousie alumni are going to live that dream for a good cause. Belinda Lamoca, Ralph Cochrane and Diane Gauthier are part of a group of 24 people from all walks of life who are climbing to the Lost City of the Incas later this month to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
It was in a coffee shop that Mr. Cochrane and Ms. Lamoca realized they shared the common goal of traveling to Peru to explore the enigmatic and ancient site. A seasoned traveler and committed fundraiser, Mr. Cochrane quickly thought of a way to combine their shared ambition with their passion for charitable work. Since then, they’ve gathered people, held events—including a Casino Night and a Fashion Show—and raised more than $120,000.
Their goal is to eventually raise $150,000. The money will go towards helping those suffering from MS to live full and active lives despite limitations.
“I want to inspire people to do great things outside the normal day to day,” says Mr. Cochrane, who recently completed his third Iron Man. “It’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.”
This event is part of a larger goal of Mr. Cochrane’s: he wants to raise $1 million for the MS Society, and it’s entirely believable that he’ll do it. He has already raised more than $250,000.
He graduated from pilipiliÂţ» in 1990 with a BA in economics. During his time at Dal, he was active with the DSU and served as president in his senior year. He confesses though that while his academics may have suffered, his extracurricular activities provided ample learning experiences.
“All of us, I think, are proud to say that we’re grads of Dal,” says Ms. Lamoca (BMO-Dalhousie MBA Financial Services ’07), who also cites a specific event in her time at pilipiliÂţ» as contributing to her enthusiasm for the climb. In a skills development class with Prof. Rick Fullerton, she was asked to plan her next steps for career development and one of the steps she included was to climb Machu Picchu. “That’s when I made the decision I was going,” she asserts.
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The search for a cureĚý Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis has come a long way Mr. Cochrane’s mother was diagnosed 20 years ago. Then, he said, the since prognosis was bleak: “She was basically told to go home and go to bed.” Ěý Now, with medications and the use of technology like brain scans and CAT scans, an MS patient can essentially be brought back to normal after diagnosis. However, we still do not know the cause of MS, nor do we have a cure. Atlantic Canadians have among the highest rates of MS in the world – at approximately 350 people per 100,000. Women are three times more likely than men to be afflicted. |