Meet James Faith, 21 year-old Marine, husband and father. His goal? To climb seven of the highest mountains in the world all while raising money for cancer research. He started a fundraiser on GiveForward several weeks ago, and we wish him the best of luck. I recently got a chance to ask James a few questions about his goals and plans.

• Climbing one mountain is no easy feat, not to mention seven! Can you tell us a little more about why you want to do this?

James: Well to be totally honest. I was watching You-Tube videos one day. I came across something about Mount Everest. The videos caught my attention, and I started doing a lot of research about Everest and the

Seven Summits. The more I looked into it the more I wanted to climb.

• Wow. That’s pretty adventurous! Why is this important to you?

James: My Goal, when I first set out to climb the Seven Summits, was just to climb. I realized one day what potential my goal could have to make an impact on other peoples lives. So I set out to start raising money. I lost my Grandfather to cancer some years ago. A very good friend of the family also passed away recently. One of my lifelong friends back home is only 21 years old and he is also suffering from cancer. This is probably my greatest motivation to climb. Knowing that I can help someone, or a lot of people, is a great feeling.

• It seems like you are very motivated and goal-oriented. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?

James: When I was young. I lived back in the woods. I guess my love for the outdoors came from being surrounded by it from a young age. When I finally hit the legal age to hunt in PA, I spent most of my time after school and on the weekends hunting, fishing, and photographing wildlife. If you ask any of my family or friends where you can find me, they will tell you the woods. I also love to race motocross with my ATV.  I was 18 right before I joined the Marines. I had two pets. One was a raccoon that I bottle fed, and released into the wild close to my home in PA. The other was a Canadian Goose that I rescued from a nest that was destroyed. I made an incubator in my bathroom, hatched it, and raised it till it could fly. I have 5 sisters, and 3 brothers. I live in New Bern NC with my wife Theresa, and my two year old son Jimmy.

• Have you ever done anything like this? Any plans for preparation?

James: No I have never done anything that can compare to this. For preparation I usually do weight training for about an hour a day. I also do a lot of cardio training. I am in Iraq right now so my options to train are limited. When possible I walk on the steepest incline on the treadmill with at least a 55 pound pack to simulate as much as possible what the climbs will be like. When I get back home I plan to use my leave from the Marines to travel to some smaller mountains, and train with some professional mountaineers.

• Can you tell us a little bit more about your plan once you raise enough money? Which mountains would you like to conquer?

James: Well most of my equipment, travel expenses, and fees for land permits to climb will be coming from family and personal sponsors that I already know. I am trying to use the bulk of the money I raise to give to people who are currently suffering from cancer. My website will be up shortly, and I hope to have people refer me to family or friends that fit the category that I am trying to help out. Once they contact me and tell me a little more about the friend or family member in need, I hope to take a trip out to visit/ interview them and give them a check for an amount that I think will be helpful to them. I will also post pictures of them, and their family on my website as well as give some information on how they have been helped by donations.

For more information and to help donate to James’ cause, visit his page at http://www.giveforward.org/faithsclimbforcancer