I had the extreme honor of climbing on a team with Hope's husband and son, who awed me with their dedication to participate in full gear. Thank you to them for letting me be a part of their station family that day. Before the climb, I was scared of what I was in for (as I imagine all those men were that terrible day). But everyone was so supportive of each other during the climb. We cheered on participants from other teams as much as we cheered on each other. Although I was not able to carry the photos of any of the FDNY personnel I knew personally, as they had all already been distributed by the time I was given a picture, I proudly carried the memory of Louis Modafferi from Rescue 5 with me through the entire climb. I drew my strength from him and from my other angel in heaven, my cousin Mark Falkenhan, a firefighter killed in the line of duty in January. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in such a profound experience. This may have been my first memorial stair climb, but I am certain it will not be my last.