My inspiration to climb came on 8 July 2011 when I found out that my older brother had passed away.  It was hard enough to deal with losing such a close family member but knowing it was because he took his own life made it even harder for myself and my family.

Soon after finding out I left for London where I met up with my climbing partner Ossie and he told me of his aspirations to climb Kilimanjaro in the Summer of 2012.  

I immediately thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to climb for a cause, my brother and the memory of his life.  I decided that the climb would be for him and my family.  This climb combined quite a few loves of mine so it was a perfect opportunity to raise awareness about such a difficult subject like suicide.  I want to raise awareness for the signs of suicide as well as remember, not only my brother, but all of the people that have been effected by suicide.

Right to Play is one of Chelsea's charities and I thought that as a supporter of the greatest club in the world, I would give back to one of its charities.  Right to Play is such a wonderful organisation and I want to raise as much money I can for them and the children they help.

The climb also allowed me the opportunity to mark Kilimanjaro as Chelsea territory.  My brother and I went to our local pub here in Southern California to cheer on the Blues a few times and he loved it.  This climb is the perfect combination of Chelsea and family inspiration.

We will be summiting on the 8th of July 2012, the one year anniversary of my brother’s death.  I want to celebrate his life and how full of life he truly was when he was here with us.

My brother Christopher is my inspiration to climb and as a Chelsea supporter I could see no better way than lifting a blue flag to mark Kilimanjaro as Chelsea territory.