A Climb For Brian
The Colorado Sports Climbing Center held a bouldering competition Saturday April 3rd, but this comp was anything but run of the mill. Instead of competing for recognition or a prize, there were competitors at every age level competing at recreational, intermediate, and advanced levels for a different reason. People were drinking beer, eating some very tasty little B.B.Q. weenies and checking out lotions and soaps that were being sold for nothing… but donations were gladly accepted and going to a great cause: Helping Brian Shelton.
Brian Shelton has been a very influential part of the local climbing community by starting up Front Range Climbing Company and by helping set over half of the routes in Red Rocks Open Space!
He has always been very active (you have to be to own a guiding company) so when he started getting headaches and his energy level was dropping at a rapid rate he thought something might be up. He assumed the headaches might be related to vision so he went to an ophthalmologist to get an eye exam. Dr. Michael Millsap, expressed concern that the pressure he was feeling behind his eyes could be much more serious than he thought. He called Brian’s doctor and scheduled an MRI and this is what they found.
That white area is a tumor the size of a baseball that had been growing in Brian’s head for over a decade. Luckily the tumor was one that grew very slowly which made it less dangerous. On March 10th Brian had the tumor removed and the surgery went smoothly. Everyone was obviously relieved, but Brian still had a major problem. He had the surgery done with no health insurance. Even though the cost of this had to be outrageous, events like this have been helping Brian along his journey.
In addition to helping this great cause, this competition proves something many climbers already know; the rock climbing community gives immensely and genuinely cares about each other. Brian’s friends and family set everything up and all proceeds were donated to helping Brian out.
If you feel like donating there is an account setup on behalf of Brian at Chase Bank under the name “Donation Fund for Brian Shelton Acct #853246015 “.
And if nothing else always remember to treat people with respect because you never know when you or someone you care about might need a helping hand.
Climb on!
Ryan
