Brownsburg man climbs with dual motivations

Local News

July 2, 2009

By Ryan Palencer The Hendricks County Flyer Thu Jul 02, 2009, 01:52 PM EDT

BROWNSBURG —

For Brownsburg resident Alex Whitley, an upcoming climb of Mt. Elbrus has special meaning.

“It’s very different than the climbs before,” Whitley said. “I’ve climbed through 12 different countries in Africa, all through Greece, and a couple more places in Europe. It was all for personal satisfaction, but there is a lot more pressure on this one.”

For Whitley, this climb will be the first “Ascent for Alopecia.” Whitley’s girlfriend, Dana Crook, suffers from the disorder, which is an autoimmune disease that causes an individual to lose their hair.

Crook explained, “I have been diagnosed with alopecia areata for eight years now. It happened to me when I turned 18. I lost all of my hair on my head.”

Whitley has been supportive of Crook since they began their relationship about a year and a half ago.

“I have always been trying to help Dana in coping with it,” Whitley said. “When you lose (your hair), not only is that tough on you, the second thing is, you have no clue when it could grow back.”

Because of this support, Crook said that Whitley has “changed my life a lot.”

“Though it is not a life or death situation, it is very mentally challenging, especially being a female,” Crook said.

When Whitley attempted to learn more about alopecia from Crook, it spawned his interest.

“When I was asking her more about it, I learned that a lot of autoimmune diseases are linked,” Whitley said. “Crohn’s disease being one. If you find a cure for one, there’s a pretty good chance that it would solve the problems across the board.”

This caused Whitley to attempt to assist the fundraising effort.

“Then I looked up fundraising events and nobody was doing any fundraising for autoimmune,” he said. “I have a history of climbing and traveling, so I decided to incorporate it that way.”

For Whitley, there are now two goals.

“My main goal is to reach the top, but in doing so using that to create awareness for alopecia,” he said. “Hopefully, whether it is $500 I raise or $10,000 I raise, some good use will be put to it, so women like Dana can feel more comfortable with themselves.”

Whitley will leave for Russia on July 15 and begin his climb on July 18, if the weather cooperates.

He is attempting to climb the highest points on every continent. Mt. Elbrus, which is the highest peak in Europe, will be his second to check off the list. He has previously reached the peak at Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2004. Now in his future climbs, he will be climbing for alopecia.

In addition, the primary fundraiser event will be from 5 p.m. to midnight July 12 at Blu Lounge, 240 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis. The bar will be running a special on stoli drinks with a portion of the proceeds from the drinks going to the Ascent for Alopecia.

Anyone unable to attend the fundraiser who would still like to donate may send a check to Ascent for Alopecia, P.O. Box 1073, Mooresville, IN 46158.

The money that is raised by the events will be split between the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and Bald Girls Do Lunch, a national non-profit organization that brings women with alopecia together.

ryan.palencer@flyergroup.com

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