Henderson County women to take friendship to Mount Kilimanjaro to end polio

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Local Rotarians Sarah Leatham and Alison Alexander will soon climb Mount Kilimanjaro on a serious mission to wipe polio from the face of the earth.

Our Persons of the Week plan to have a lot of fun in the process.

At the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, these fast friends admit the makeup they put on just for our news camera probably won't travel with them.

"There will be no lipstick on the mountain! We will not be looking like this," said Leatham, keeping it real.

"I actually thought about lash extensions" Alexander suggested.

"You are so bad!" Leatham said with a laugh.

In the first few minutes of our interview, we realized they could go on forever.

"You're not gonna care," Leatham said of makeup and other essentials. "That's one more thing you're gonna lug up the mountain."

The mountain they're gearing up for is not a exactly walk in the park. Elevation 19,341 feet.

"One morning, I looked up at my husband and said this is the year. I'm climbing Mount Kilimanjaro," Leatham said.

Next week, they leave for the adventure of a lifetime. They'll represent Henderson County at the Rotary 7680 Kilimanjaro Climb to "End Polio Now!"

The annual climb has become a major benefit in the effort to eradicate the disease worldwide.

"(Polio) seems like something that is in the past or far away," Alexander said. "Even though it's 99.9 percent eradicated, as long as it exists, it's a threat to a child everywhere."

Individually, they have a $5,000 fundraising goal. On top of that, the Gates Foundation doubles the cash collected.

This Sunday, Bold Rock in Mills River will donate $1 from every pint sold between 1-4 p.m.

"I've been very touched by the people that stepped forward to touch other people's lives globally," Leatham said.

Training to take on one of the seven wonders of the world is daunting. Thankfully, they have a friendship built for the long haul.

Amazing considering they've known each other four months.

"We're two peas in a pod," Leatham said.

They're prepared to take their friendship to the next level.