RESTON, VA — A Reston businessman recently found himself at the polar opposite of where he hoped to be nearly a year ago — literally. Instead of standing at the North Pole, Len Forkas instead skied 300 miles to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
“I was really blessed,” Forkas told Patch on Tuesday. “The whole thing from start to finish couldn’t have been better. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it’s a little more accessible, believe it or not, because there’s no politics involved.”
Back in March 2023, Len Forkas was training to ski to the North Pole to raise awareness of Hopecam, a nonprofit he founded the provides connective technology to children who have a cancer diagnosis. But difficulties in securing the necessary clearances from the Norwegian and Russian governments forced him to cancel the trip. Rather than waste the months of training, Forkas opted to climb Mount Everest instead.
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Forkas first began seeking out physical obstacles to overcome about 21 years ago, when his 9-year-old son, Matt, was diagnosed with leukemia and undergoing chemotherapy.
“He couldn’t go back to school, because they had to suppress his immune system, in order to get the chemicals to work,” Forkas said last year. “He was lonely and depressed, and I wanted to help him feel less lonely.”
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Contacting Forestville Elementary in Great Falls, Forkas got permission to install a webcam inside his son’s classroom.
Related: Reston Man Plans To ‘Stay Frosty’ Skiing To North Pole For Charity
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“He could talk to his friends, and they could check in with him and remind them that he hadn’t been forgotten,” Forkas said. “They saw his face balloon up from the steroids and lose hair. When he went back to school in the fall, every one of those kids in his class saw what happened to him, and they lived it in real time. They reminded him that he hadn’t been forgotten, and that they wanted him back and that they missed him. It lifted his spirits.”
Matt eventually survived his bout with cancer and now works with his father.
Related: North Pole Trip Canceled; Reston Man To Climb Mount Everest Instead
Forkas never forgot the powerful connection the camera in the classroom had made between Matt and his classmates. It’s what inspired him to start Hopecam. He pays for each physical challenge out of his own pocket.
All during his recent trip to the South Pole, Forkas posted photos and videos on a blog, so that Hopecam’s donors and those who receive its services can see the progress he and his team are making.
“Every day we dedicate our day to a child with cancer,” Forkas said. “We remind them that during that day, we had some physical challenges, like skiing across the Antarctic plateau in minus 20 degrees pulling sleds. We’re heading toward the South Pole and it feels like a slog. It takes a lot of discipline, a lot of a lot of preparation, a lot of endurance.”
There were plenty of physical challenges Forkas and his team had to overcome to reach the pole, but the most difficult thing they faced was the monotony of skiing across a vast plain of white, stretching out to the horizon in all directions.
“Let’s face it, you got a lot of things to think about when you’re in the middle of nowhere,” Forkas said. “We had a different child we thought about each day and we learned their stories. We talked about them.”
Thanks to his blog, Forkas was able to share videos with the families to keep them updated on their progress and let them know the team is thinking about them every step of the way.
“That video says to that boy or girl that, ‘While you’re going through treatment, we were doing something that was hard but not as hard as what you are doing’,” he said. “Their stories motivate our team, because we may be really cold and we may be really tired, but we’re not fighting for our lives.”
Hopecam is hosting a 5K fundraising race on Sunday, May 5, for runners, walkers and wheelers, who can either participate in-person or virtually. Race day registration and package pick up begins at 8 a.m. The in-person race starting at 9 a.m., at 890 Preston White Drive in Reston. Virtual participants can run anywhere at any time. Registration information is available online.
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