ON THE COVER

Moving Mountains from page A20

sion to Israel in 2000, serves as the impetus for Kawer's
"crazy" idea to hike up the Roman fortress overlooking
the Dead Sea that has become a symbol of Jewish resis-
tance, and one of the country's most popular tourist
destinations.
"I knew my mom had always wanted to be in Israel,
so when I was at Masada, she was very much on my
mind:' Goldenberg said.
When no one volunteered to carry the group's 30-
pound water pack up the mountain, Goldenberg decid-
ed to carry it as a way to symbolically carry her mother
with her up the mountain. "The moment she told me
that, I decided we would hike up the mountain together
one day:' Kawer said.
Now, eight years later, a cousin's bar mitzvah is mak-
ing it possible not only for Kawer and Goldenberg to
travel to Israel, but also Kawer's now 83-year-old father.
Kawer's eyes fill with tears at the prospect of reaching
the summit at sunrise with her daughter. Her father will
take the cable car and meet them at the top. "I have always
wanted to travel to Israel with my dad:' she said.
As quickly as the tears come, they ebb. "I'm just going
to put myself into a meditation, and do it," she said.

Getting Prepared
To prepare, she is ramping up her daily workouts,
which already consist of 600 crunches, weightlift-
ing and cardiovascular training on a cross-country
machine — all are essential to her well-being, she said.
"As someone with MS, I have to keep myself in the
best possible shape I can to make sure all the muscles
are maintained and as strong as possible. I need upper-
body strength and to get the stiffness out of my legs,
and I need to stretch?'
Her regimen, combined with a proper diet and a pos-
itive mental attitude, contribute to her relative health,
she believes. She doesn't take any medication, and looks
much younger than her age.
"For me, it is mind over matter," she said, "but every-
body finds what works for them."
There are days, she conceded, when she does not
feel great. "Sometimes I make plans and have to cancel
them:' she admitted. "Sometimes when I feel like my
symptoms are progressing, I don't know if I can attri-
bute it to the MS or simply to age."
And sadly, she said, she misses dancing, a favorite
pasttime. "When my son got married, I wanted nothing
more than to dance the hora. Instead, I stood in the
center, and everyone danced around me."
Again, the sadness quickly disappears. "I don't think
of myself as handicapped:' she said. "That's not how
I project myself to the world. When people notice me
and not my canes, to me, that's the highest compli-
ment." At the same time, "If people want to ask me
questions, it's a responsibility I will gladly take on."
Elana Sullivan, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Michigan chapter president, commends Kawer's
"impressive" ambition. "From time to time, we learn
about people with MS who choose to take on incred-
ible physical challenges and it's always an inspiration:'
she said. "We know of people with MS who have rid-
den bikes across the country or taken on triathlons for
MS. This is a very special and unique event because of
Dina's wish to do this with her daughter."
Kawer said, "It's going to be difficult, but it's also
going to be magical?' She plans to wear light clothing,

A20

June 19 • 2008

Huntington

Woods'
Dina Kawer

is ready
to tackle
Masada's

snake path.

drink continuously, wear cooling bands to cool her
arterial blood and stop as often as she needs to during
the pre-dawn hike.
"But make no mistake," she said, "I'll be taking the
cable car down. And then my family is going to throw
me into the Dead Sea, and I'm just going to float." ❑

To contribute to Dina Kawer's fund-raising climb
up Masada, go to www.howwilligetbackdown.com .
Proceeds go to the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society.

