CHAMPAIGN – Cancer robbed Lori Melchi of a lot of friends and struck Lynn Wachtel in her 40s.

Now, both these local women are fighting back by taking the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life to a whole new level.

Come June 12, other Relay for Life participants will be walking around a track in Champaign to raise money for the cancer society.

Melchi and Wachtel will be taking part in the relay a month later by making a 19,340-foot climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. And their fundraising goal is pretty high, too.

Both are footing the entire cost of the trip and climb up the mountain themselves, and will be striving to raise $100,000 all for the American Cancer Society.

Melchi, 53, of Savoy, came up with the idea to climb a mountain for Relay for Life after losing several close friends to cancer in the last few years.

"There's just been a lot of losses lately," she said.

Plus, she had a near-brush with cancer herself once, when a golfball-size tumor was found on her ovary and she wound up needing a hysterectomy.

The experience showed her the importance of early detection of cancer, Melchi said. She might have waited too long to see a doctor if she hadn't seen Gene Wilder speaking on TV about Gilda Radner's battle with ovarian cancer and realized her own symptoms were the same.

Until recently, Melchi planned to make the climb with a longtime friend and another woman, but her team grew to four people when she went to Champaign Surplus to buy some supplies and met Wachtel, one of the outdoor gear store's owners.

An experienced mountain climber, Wachtel said she told Melchi she'd love to support her relay team. And when Melchi invited her to take part in the climb herself, she didn't hesitate.

After having breast cancer in her 40s, Wachtel marked her 50th birthday by taking part in a 60-mile walk and will be marking her 60th birthday coming up next March with this mountain climb for Relay for Life.

"I wanted to aim even higher, and Lori Melchi's goal is very, very high," she said.

Melchi said she chose Mount Kilimanjaro because it's the highest mountain in the world that can be hiked. But, she added, she's also currently in the best shape of her life after losing more than 60 pounds last year.

Melchi is now working out with a trainer nights and weekends, and that includes some training with air restrictions to prepare herself for the change of altitude.

Is she a little fearful about doing this? More like excited, Melchi said.

"I'm really, really not an adventurous person," Melchi said. "I've never done anything like this. I've never even flown in a plane over water before."

Wachtel said she tries to remain fit all the time, but knows she'll need to do a bit more to get ready for Mount Kilimanjaro and plans to do some hiking in Colorado next June.

Relay for Life, an annual event to raise money for cancer research and awareness, will come to Champaign on June 12 next year, and Melchi and Wachtel will be embarking on their mountain climb July 11.

While they're training, they'll also be soliciting support to reach their fundraising goal.

Melchi is blogging about her plans and training progress at http://thinagainadventures.blogspot.com.

Supporters can make a donation to her Relay for Life team at: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/themountainclimber.