Eric Morrow of Bowie was 49 when a routine check-up in 2021 led to a shocking diagnosis: aggressive prostate cancer that had already spread to his pelvic lymph nodes. With no symptoms and little warning, the news turned his world upside down. He later learned he had several risk factors — African heritage, a family history of the disease, and a military background — that made early-onset prostate cancer more likely.
Now, after surgery, radiation, and two years of hormone therapy, Eric considers himself a survivor. This weekend, he’s taking on a new challenge: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. He’ll join about 20 others — many of them fellow survivors — on a weeklong fundraising trek organized by ZERO Prostate Cancer, an Alexandria-based nonprofit that supported him during treatment and now inspires his advocacy work.
The group will hike through jungle terrain and up to high-altitude camps, eventually making a midnight push to the summit in subzero temperatures. If all goes as planned, they’ll reach the top — 19,341 feet above sea level — at sunrise on Monday, September 29.
For Eric, the climb is more than a personal milestone. It’s a message that while a cancer diagnosis can change your life, it doesn’t have to limit it