More Than Just Me Foundation founder Tommy Danger began running for charitable causes in his early 20s while raising money for a local 14 year old suffering from cancer. Sadly, the young girl lost her battle. But, this only motivated Danger to push on, helping more kids in need along his way. After dedicating triathlons and fundraisers to the young patient, Danger ran 3,191 miles to raise money and awareness for at-risk teens. Now, he’s in the process of completing the Seven Summits, climbing the highest mountain peaks on each of the seven continents, raising awareness for cystic fibrosis (CF). While Danger’s not the first person to attempt this challenge, he may be the first to do so with the help of cannabis-infused edibles, using them to stimulate his appetite and manage pain. With five peaks already complete, Danger believes his surmounting success is due, in part, from consuming Jetty Extracts, a California-based cannabis extract company who sponsored his Papua New Guinea expedition. CANNABIS TOURS caught up with Tommy Danger to learn more about the Seven Summits adventure and his life mission.
You’ve been running triathlons for some time, how long have you been climbing mountains?
I am very new to the alpine/mountaineering world. I’ve been climbing since the summer of 2013, which is when I started the project to climb the Seven Summits for CF awareness.
What inspired you to raise money for CF?
When a close friend confessed that her son Ethan was born with CF, I was inspired to help. I had no idea what the disease even meant until meeting Ethan. I thought he was wheelchair bound and would need assistance from his parents for the remainder of his life, and quickly learned that this was not true…yet people had no idea what CF entailed.
Why Seven Summits?
There is much behind climbing these peaks. The ability to travel to every continent and reach the highest point intrigued me. And, more importantly, it’s a small way to relate to a big cause. CF is a genetic disease that damages the lungs and digestive system, as well as lower lung function. It kills your appetite. So, we we were able to find parallels between the disease’s symptoms and how climbing high elevations makes us feel. The higher we go, the less oxygen we have access to, which makes it harder to breathe and stimulate appetite. Plus, it’s one hell of an adventure. And, with less than 1,000 climbers to truly summit all Seven, it’s a rad achievement.
How is consuming cannabis infused products during your expeditions a better choice for both pain management and as an appetite inducer than other methods?
I am a hippie at heart and love to avoid any unnecessary medications, as I feel they do more harm to our bodies and minds than they may help. Cannabis is natural and it’s something that allows me to help my body without having long or short term negative effects. The stigma behind cannabis is truly based around the lack of knowledge. If people would step off of their high horse and see how it can be used and how it can help so many, then I truly believe more people could live healthier lives.
What’s your preferred consumption method?
I personally love Mind Tricks by Jetty Extracts. It’s a toffee based edible that allows me to eat at elevations where I have zero appetite because it’s like a dessert. It helps with my knee pain and also stimulates appetite at higher elevations. If I’m sitting down to write or think deeply, I’ll use Jetty’s oil because certain strains allow me to focus more on the work at hand. It gives me freedom by dulling pain after days and weeks of hiking eight to ten hours a day at high altitudes. It allows me to keep exploring and to keep climbing higher.
How can the cannabis community support the More Than Just Me Foundation?
There are multiple ways to support MTJM Foundation and the More Than Just Mountains project. One, of course, is jumping on as a sponsor. We only have two mountains left. They are very expensive, but we want to make sure we do them right and get great footage, so people can see exactly what it’s like to climb a high altitude mountain while highlighting cystic fibrosis. Also, people can follow us on social media through our platforms like our More Than Just Me Facebook page or our Instagram. Also, we’re showing our adventures, causes, and the people affected by those causes via our high production webisodes on our YouTube Channel, More Than Just Me TV. The key to all of this is to spread awareness and to show love to as many people as we can around the world. All of you are a part of this adventure as much as I am.
When will we be able to watch the documentary of your expedition?
Our six episode mini-documentary is currently airing on our YouTube channel. It’s showcasing not only the mountains, but how they relate to living with CF. We currently have three episodes released and will continue to release a new episode every Monday at 6pm EST until all six episodes are released! We are excited to share the adventure and hope people not only watch them but also subscribe to see future episodes of More Than Just Me TV!