When Hollister resident Jerry Mermis hikes the Grand Canyon in
just over a month, he’ll be carrying with him a photograph of his
niece who died of Leukemia in April.
Hollister – When Hollister resident Jerry Mermis hikes the Grand Canyon in just over a month, he’ll be carrying with him a photograph of his niece who died of Leukemia in April.
Mermis, 60, will hike eight hours through the Colorado landmark to raise money for cancer research.
After his 24-year-old niece died in April, Mermis felt the need to somehow help his grieving sister and cope with the loss.
“I’m doing this for my niece and for my sister, too,” Mermis said. “My sister Julie, watching her go through that and still go through it, I needed to do something.”
Since he’s not a cancer researcher, Mermis figured the next best thing, to help, was to raise money. He set his sights on raising money for leukemia research, and for families experiencing what he watched his sister’s family go through.
He heard about Hike for Discovery, a program by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society allowing people to train for a hike and raise money for cancer research.
“A friend of mine who had been doing this for years told me about it and challenged me to do it, too,” Mermis said.
Mermis committed to raising $3,700 for the well-known organization that aims to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.
In June, he began training for the hike with a team of around 15 others from the Monterey and Silicon Valley areas. Together, Mermis and the rest of his team have committed to raising $75,000 for the society.
“The hiking part is a lot of fun,” Mermis said. “The fundraising part, that’s not so fun but it inspires you.”
He’s almost halfway to his goal, having raised just over $1,400. If he doesn’t raise the rest, he’ll pay it himself. It would be worth it if that’s necessary, he said.
Since he began training, the hikes have given new meaning to his life, he said.
“Turning 60, I was overweight and feeling sluggish and in general, you’re going – what am I going to do for the rest of my life? This is a spark for me,” Mermis said. “There are things I can do that are important.”
A nice side effect of the training, Mermis said, has been his improved health. He has lost 24 pounds since training started in June.
The hikes have also allowed Mermis to escape from the “grueling rat race,” he said.
“When you get out there in nature and you start hiking and the birds are singing, it’s definitely very reflective,” Mermis said. “You start thinking, this is what life is about.”
During his time spent hiking and reflecting, Mermis said he has grown to feel closer to his niece.
“I carry a picture of her and when we go on the hike (at the Grand Canyon), I’m going to print out pictures of her for all of the hikers,” Mermis said. “Now I feel closer with her than I have in quite a long time.”
Although the training can occasionally incite sadness, he said it also offers inspiration. Following his team’s training, a cancer survivor occasionally speaks to the group.
“Man is that inspiring,” he said. “It says, this is really worth it.”
