Salt Lake City, UT. As part of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the HERA Foundation and Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. are sponsoring The HERA Climb for Life, a fund raising event to be held September 19 - 22, 2002. Noted women climbers Bobbi Bensman, Kitty Calhoun and Lisa Gnade will attend the event which will raise awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms, while uniting women and their families who have struggled with the disease. Funds contributed will go to the Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Initiative which focuses on research for early detection and new directions in treatment.

Ovarian Cancer survivor and organizer Sean Patrick comments, " The myth is that ovarian cancer is a silent killer and that symptoms are difficult to detect; however, recent studies have shown the disease has recognizable symptoms." She continues, " That is why building awareness of this form of cancer is critical. When ovarian cancer is caught early it is ninety-five percent curable."

The event will be hosted at the Black Diamond campus, at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, in Salt Lake City, on September 19 - 22, 2002. Food and refreshments, indoor/outdoor climbing clinics and demos, slide shows and raffles are all slated to take place. Outdoor climbing groups will go to one of the nearby world - renowned climbing areas of Logan, Little Cottonwood, Big Cottonwood, American Fork or Maple Canyon.

The HERA Foundation was founded by Sean Patrick as a tax-deductible entity. Because of the generosity of the Climb for Life sponsors, over ninety-five percent of the funds raised during this event will go directly to research and aid women and their families who battle this disease.

Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. is an employee owned manufacturer of equipment for rock climbing, alpinism and backcountry skiing. By consistently building innovative products and actively preserving the mountain environment, Black Diamond has established a leadership role in the international outdoor community. www.Blackdiamondequipment.com or www.ovariancancer.jhmi.edu/climb

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff