Lynn Lingenfelter PacificCrestTrail

Lynn Lingenfelter. HIV and AIDS survivor of 33 years. Body for Life Champion, personal trainer and inspirational speaker, one of the few to complete the Appalachian Trail from start to finish.  All of my friends and family know my brother Lynn's story of struggles and accomplishments. At the age of 16, in 1983, he acquired the HIV virus through a blood transfusion as a result of a hunting accident. He has had many ups and downs over the years and finally started to triumph over this life changing event after winning the Bill Phillips EAS Body for Life competition in the Inspiration Category in 1997.  He opened a gym and started public speaking in an effort to help others. Then, tragedy struck again in 2008 when he developed PML, a brain disease that effected his speech and coordination, and he was forced to give up what he loved doing, personal training and motivational speaking. In most cases, that is where the story would end. But we're talking about Lynn; he is not one to give up that easily. He is a survivor who has accomplished more with AIDS than many who live without life threatening illnesses.  Lynn wants to start a new chapter in his life by taking on his greatest challenge yet, and trying to inspire others by hiking the brutal Pacific Crest Trail. To do so, he is going to begin with the trail he is most familiar with, the Appalachian Trail. This would help prepare him mentally and physically for the much more difficult Pacific Crest Trail that runs from Canada to Mexico.  He needs your support and encouragement, both financially and personally through social media.  This fund would help to provide him with the means to realize his dream, and your support through social media would give him the resolution and accountability he needs to keep going day by day. Most importantly, he wants to inspire others to keep going, to keep trying to reach the top of their mountain, and to not just survive in the midst of their trials, but to thrive in them.