Ali completed the Sky Rise Chicago challenge and climbed 103 flights of stairs

On Sunday morning, hundreds of people went up the Willis Tower (yeah yeah, Sears) stairwells, to raise money for a great cause. Sky Rise Chicago helps the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. They have a number of programs designed to enhance the quality of life for people who have lost ability due to serious injury or chronic conditions. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions — from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. The goal was $1 million dollars and they got pretty darn close with $970,000.

My goal was to finish the climb; there was no “race” for this girl. After 103 flights, I’m glad I went at a grandma’s pace. Slow and steady baby! Getting to the top was sweet, sweet victory, but the most beautiful thing was being able to climb next to folks who had gone through the programs at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab themselves. Seeing their results in action made it all worth it.