Carrying a Flag From Pain to Passion

When Andrew Buerger's sister was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, her courage and strength spurred Andy to turn pain into a passion. Andy founded Jodi's Climb for Hope, which raised more than $750,000 for research by leading mountain-climbing expeditions-an apt metaphor for the struggles women affected by breast cancer endure.

In 2008 tragedy struck again when Andy's wife Jen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Jodi's Climb for Hope expanded the scope of its mission into multiple s...