Spokane Valley firefighter Joseph Conley described his climb up 69 flights of stairs at the Columbia Center in Seattle as the 13 most “grueling minutes of his life.”
Conley, along with about 2,000 other firefighters on Sunday, participated in the so-called “stair climb” to raise money for blood cancer research. He placed 14th out of a group of firefighters from 26 states and six countries. They raised $2.4 million total.
He said the climb was especially meaningful to him because his father died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when Conley, who is now 28, was just 19 months old.
“It’s emotional to start, because of my family history, but as you’re doing it, all you can think of is taking your next step,” he said.
Even before becoming a Spokane Valley firefighter, Conley said he has always wanted to participate in the stair-climbing challenge.