Carol Mellberg with son Jack. Photo courtesy of Mellberg______
Carol Mellberg is going from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs, literally.
The low occurred last May , when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
'I was completely shocked, really thrown off my feet,' by the diagnosis, she said. 'I couldn't process it; I couldn't comprehend. It was a really hard day. Especially since I was so healthy, one of the healthiest people I knew.
'Sure, my grandmother died of breast cancer, so it's always in the back of your mind, but I never thought I'd be the one to get it because I eat well and exercise.'
Mellberg, 43, of Los Gatos, Calif., a former college tennis player and tennis pro, has taken her dejection to help others—via Mt. Shasta in California, the literal high. She's participating July 10 in the annual Climb Against The Odds, a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Fund.
Mt. Shasta is 14,179 feet tall and the highest mountain in California. The hike is expected to take up to 18 hours, Mellberg said.
'I am taking on this physical, emotional and mental challenge of climbing Mt. Shasta for myself, in memory of my grandmother Katherine, and to bring attention to this very important organization,' said Mellberg, who played singles and doubles tennis in college. She was the tennis pro at Brookside Club in Saratoga for 13 years—the same length of time she has been in a relationship with Holly Wade.
'I have learned a lot about the disease and myself. Now I am ready to help [ raise funds ] for an organization that I believe can help reduce the risk of breast cancer,' Mellberg said. 'A woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer is now 1 in 8. I am very interested in breast cancer prevention and doing what I can to help reduce the odds for my family of women—my partner, my sisters, mother, aunts, cousins and friends, and for all women.'
Mellberg's life changed forever last May 28. Her grandfather died that day and she received the medical news she now lives with.
'I just thought I'd run in [ to the doctor's office ] , get my mammogram result and then leave,' she said.
But the radiologist told Mellberg of her cancer. She had surgery last July.
'It was such a flurry; it was so confusing. I was completely knocked off balance. I figured I'd never play tennis again,' she said.
Mellberg then had a second surgery, and ultimately never needed radiation of chemotherapy. Today, she is cancer-free.
Then, Mellberg's masseuse told her about the climb.
'I was nervous about the fundraising part much more than the actual climb,' said Mellberg, who has raised more than $10,000. 'The fundraising was way more of a challenge to me than the [ climb of ] 14,000 feet.
'I thought [ the climb ] would be a good thing [ personally ] , particularly because I would be around other women who have been through this. Plus, I was ready to give back, to help others, to help prevent it.'
'It feels really good to have this kind of focus, very positive. It feels like it's just meant to be. It just feels right,' said Mellberg, who now works as an art therapist. 'I never thought I'd like hiking, but I really enjoy it. So I definitely will continue hiking [ or ] doing something outside, like maybe backpacking or climb [ ing ] another mountain.