Hiking against the odds
September 26, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Rebecca Dufek on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail in Carnation.
Hiking 31.5 miles in one day would be a feat for an average adventurer, but for Rebecca Dufek, who is battling a disorder called NF2, it was a must.
Dufek hiked the Snoqualmie Valley Trail Sept. 7 to raise awareness about NF2, a condition in which benign tumors grow on the cranial and spinal nerves, affecting hearing, vision and sensation.
Dufek said she began experiencing hearing loss at age 27. She had already won a battle with lymphoma cancer at age 21, but NF2 presented a different type of challenge. In five years, her hearing loss faltered from mild to severe, until she was completely deaf.
“I lived through those five years holding on to the belief that maybe I would be a lucky medical marvel,” Dufek said. “In reality, the probability of deafness was about 99 percent.”
Despite regular surgeries, Dufek’s tumors swelled, causing her dizziness, vision impairment and problems with balance.
She called her new body “foreign” and could not even feel herself falling until she hit the floor.
Once, “I fell over like a tree being chopped down when I was standing in my kitchen and closed my eyes,” Dufek said.
NF2 reversed her old lifestyle of rollerblading, scuba diving, hiking and skiing. But Dufek is not one to sit on the sidelines. She learned about fundraisers for her disease in 2002. Dufek started running 5K races, walking marathons and even climbed Seattle’s Columbia Tower in March for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All of her adventures are chronicled on her blog, http://diverbeck.blogspot.com.
Another woman, Jodi Harrington, raised the stakes. Starting in Delaware, Harrington began hiking about 25 miles a day on the American Discovery Trail in honor of her friend. She expects to reach the California coast in November, Dufek said.
Dufek knew the terrain would be difficult, but that didn’t stop her from joining Harrington in spirit.
“I came up with the idea to do my own hike close to home on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and to allocate my funds to NF2 research,” Dufek said.
Her husband Harley, dog Jake — who walked the first 18 miles with her — parents and friends all joined her for different parts of the trail.
The large pack helped Dufek when she reached the Tokul Road detour.
“I was really happy to have them join us at this point, as the trail ends and one must take a detour and walk 2.25 to 2.5 miles on the road with barely a shoulder to none. As a deaf person, this really concerned me as I cannot hear at all if there is a car coming up behind me,” Dufek said. “It was great having people join me as it made us more visible.”
Dufek’s sister drove Jake to the trail near Snoqualmie Golf Course and at Mount Si Road in North Bend to bolster Dufek’s fortitude.
At one point, Harley stopped to give Jake a water break and ran into a black bear.
“It was rather spooked. So, before he could take a picture with his camera phone, it shot back up the hill,” Dufek said.
So far, Dufek has raised about $4,300 from hike sponsors, which is close to her goal of $5,000. Both Gold’s Gym in Redmond and Issaquah have donated to her cause. She exercises weekly in the pool to help strengthen her legs and improve her balance.
“If I stop, my quality of life decreases and I am not able to do simple things anymore such as descend a staircase without being terrified of falling and hurting myself,” Dufek said.
Yet the Ames Lake resident is not complaining.
“I am extremely lucky to have as much ability as I still do as that is not the case for many people with NF2,” Dufek sad. “I will work to use my ability for as long as I can to help those afflicted with these tumors achieve a better quality of life.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
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