JACKSON, Miss.- Cancer, a word that hits hard for many. Jeremy Jungling faced the terrifying news that he had colon cancer, but after visiting the doctor, that word that seemed to be so life draining, did the opposite. Not only for Jeremy, but for his wife Claire. They did not let this bring them down, but they fought back and it has now shaped their lives for the best and given them the opportunity to grow and help others who face the same challenges.
Last year, Claire and Jeremy Jungling set a goal of $20,000 for LIVESTRONG and to climb Kilimanjaro. Climbing Kilimanjaro was a symbolic way to bring hope and inspiration to cancer survivors and to honor the memory of those lost.
“It took us seven days to go up and two days to go down.” Jeremy Jungling said on SuperTalk’s JT show, “We spent an hour and half at the top crying, hugging, some people were almost passing out from the altitude, but it was a great moment, a beautiful moment.”
Jungling, now a cancer survivor hopes to continue to bring awareness to cancer and raise money to help those that are faced with the disease.
“When you’re diagnosed with cancer you think in the future everything’s going to be bad, it’s the end of your life and that you’re going to be thinking about end of life decisions, but I never would have envisioned that two years later that if I was given the opportunity to go back and not have cancer, I wouldn’t do it.” Jungling said, “My life has changed for the better in so many ways and it continues to keep getting better; It’s an eye-opener so I wouldn’t go back and change it.”
Tuesday they held a fundraiser at Highland Village in Jackson where Doug Ulman, CEO of LIVESTRONG, and fellow Kilimanjaro climber spoke to the crowd. They continue to spread awareness and raise money to help those with cancer.
Jungling said, “If something’s wrong, go to the doctor; don’t be scared of that. If you are diagnosed reach out to places like LIVESTRONG or to your friends or other people; there’s always reason for hope. Just keep fighting and be proactive, be your own best patient advocate and by using LIVESTRONG you can do that.”
