Firefighter climbs Columbia Center tower with wife, battling cancer

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 20, 2018

For years, a team from Vashon’s fire department has climbed Seattle’s Columbia Center in the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, which raises funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This year the climb, held on March 11, was the same as it always has been: 69 flights of stairs, 1,356 steps to climb — in full, heavy firefighter gear. But for Vashon Island Fire & Rescue Captain Josh Munger, this year was also substantially different. Munger’s wife, Juanitta Lang, a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the Poulsbo Fire Department, was diagnosed with leukemia in November.

At the event, Lang climbed too, all 69 floors, part of a contingent of about 50 firefighters who have had cancer or are going through it.

Following her diagnosis, Lang told Munger she was still planning on climbing. He noted her fortitude and strength.

“She is such a can-do person. I am like, ‘OK, I can see you doing this,” he said.

And she did. Her time: 46 minutes and 55 seconds. Munger’s time — after being out with flu and not being quite recovered: 47 minutes and 30 seconds. Despite having been sidelined and sick, Munger said he was determined this year, no matter how he badly he felt, to finish. Some years, he said, he has completed the climb in the 20-minute range.

“But this year, oh man, I was off the mark,” he said. “I was so fatigued.”

More important than his time is that he has climbed for 13 years and has raised money every year, he said. By now, he believes he has raised $25,000 to $30,000 in the hope of finding a cure for lymphoma and leukemia — a cure his wife may need.

This year, he raised $3,210, and the Vashon team raised more than $8,000.

Security at the stair climb is extremely tight — hundreds of first responders from multiple states are in the building at the same time, and the public is not allowed entry. Most family and friends are relegated to watching the proceedings from the outside — except for the VIPs of the day — family members of those climbing with cancer.

Munger, 51, and Lang , 57, are raising eight children, ranging in ages from 5 to 19. Four of them attended the climb and were given VIP passes, allowing them to circulate freely in the building — and as Munger said — run up and down all day long and take in the spectacle. Most importantly, the passes enabled them to go to the top and see Lang cross the finish line.

In November, after Lang found a lump in her neck, the diagnosis came in: small cell lymphocystic leukemia.

A Kitsap Sun story about Lang and Mungers says the good news is they’ve caught the cancer early and it’s slow moving, but chemotherapy is not an option. In the future, medications and bone marrow transplants are likely. More good news, Munger said, is that they have cord blood banked for two of their children so they have stem cells for future treatment.

“That was some good thinking,” he said.

Since Lang’s diagnosis came in, she quit her job as an ER tech in Bremerton — a job she loved, Munger said. She feels pretty good, he added, but fights fatigue and not feeling 100 percent. They are getting over the shock of the diagnosis and adjusting to the new normal.

“I think for us, we are just enjoying the moments more, he said, adding: “She is realizing what is important and what is not.”

Her doctors have told Lang she could live 15 to 20 more years more, with treatment. But that is not enough time for Munger.

“Chances are that I will outlive her,” he said. “That has been hard to think about.”

Many islanders know Munger as the brother of former teacher Rochelle Munger, who has battled cancer for years. She left her teaching position and last week was doing spring training with the Mariners, he said.

“Cancer hit really close to home, two people I love both affected,” he added.

Last week, at work at Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, just a few days after the climb, Munger spoke about the event, seeing other firefighters he has known for years, all climbing for a cause. And he talked about the beauty of the day, with sunshine and blue skies and the clear view from the top of the tower.

“It was a great day for our family,” he said.

In addition to Munger, Vashon’s team included Darren Lenz, Ben Davidson, Brad McMullen, Josh Duweke, Karen Jensen and Andy Johnson. Munger led the fundraising, followed by Johnson and Davidson, who each raised more than $1,000. Donations are still being accepted until the end of the month.