Climb California will again see a unique group of participants,” said a news release about the event, which benefits the American Lung Association – “from families climbing with babies on their backs; to teams of firefighters climbing in memory of their fallen comrades; to a participant so committed that he’s climbing in a walking cast … .”The statement also said that lung disease is on the rise, especially lung cancer and asthma. A reported 30 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.