Beyond the Diagnosis: Kilimanjaro Expedition
September 12–21, 2027, Team CMT Unbroken will bring climbers living with CMT to Mount Kilimanjaro. This expedition—and the documentary following it—will challenge what people expect from disability and show what becomes possible when community moves forward together.
The Climb
A team of climbers living with CMT will take on Africa’s highest summit together—one step, one switchback, and one shared belief at a time.
The Documentary
Beginning long before Tanzania, athletes will document training, setbacks, and life with CMT in their own words—forming the heart of a feature-length film.
Beyond the Summit
This journey expands what people expect from disability, creates visibility for the CMT community, and gives partners a meaningful role in the story.
Meet the Climbers
Meet Brooke
Meet Justin & Meg Burke
Meet Justin & Meg Burke
Diagnosed with CMT at 11, Brooke has kept choosing movement through every change. A cyclist, educator, and mom of three, she is training for Kilimanjaro to prove that dreams do not have an expiration date.
Meet Justin & Meg Burke
Meet Justin & Meg Burke
Meet Justin & Meg Burke
Best friends since high school and parents of four, Justin and Meg began this journey after their daughter Hayden—and then Justin—were diagnosed with CMT1A. They’re climbing Kilimanjaro to show their children that strength grows through support, advocacy, and facing the mountain together.
Meet Trevor
Meet Justin & Meg Burke
Meet Trevor
Diagnosed with CMT1A at 13, Trevor has turned a life of surgeries and recovery into a love of hiking, biking, camping, and winter backcountry adventures. He’s climbing Kilimanjaro to explore what is possible—and to prove that “you can’t do that” is never the final word.
More Climbers, More Stories
Meet Steven Youngblood
Meet Steven Youngblood
Meet Steven Youngblood
A social worker, father, and lifelong advocate, Steven lives with CMT and leads with faith, family, and resilience. He is climbing Kilimanjaro to show that a diagnosis is not an identity: adapt, grow, and keep moving.
Meet Daniel Blevins
Meet Steven Youngblood
Meet Steven Youngblood
Army veteran, adaptive athlete, health coach, author, and advocate, Daniel has lived with CMT through every fall, setback, and reinvention. He first climbed Kilimanjaro in 2021 and returns in 2027 to show that the diagnosis does not get to write the ending.
Gwen DuRupo
Meet Steven Youngblood
Nathan Elser
Story Coming Soon
Nathan Elser
Landon Youngblood
Nathan Elser
Story Coming Soon.
Landon Youngblood
Landon Youngblood
Landon Youngblood
The Beyond the Diagnosis team is still growing. Come back soon to meet more climbers preparing to carry this message to Kilimanjaro in 2027.
Brenton Tolbert
Landon Youngblood
Landon Youngblood
Brenton Tolbert is a veteran and the director behind Beyond the Diagnosis: Kilimanjaro Expedition, capturing the hikers’ training, resilience, and journey to challenge what people believe is possible.
Expedition at a Glance
When
Where
Where
September 12–21, 2027
Where
Where
Where
Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Why
Where
Why
CMT climbers, a feature documentary, and a new vision of what is possible.
Beyond the Diagnosis
Meet Brenten Tolbert
Brenten Tolbert is an Arizona-based filmmaker, photographer, FAA-certified drone pilot, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. As Director of Photography, he will document Team CMT Unbroken’s journey from training to Kilimanjaro and turn it into the Beyond the Diagnosis film.