Nine years ago I lost my Mum to breast cancer.  She was one of the most positive, strong, determined and kind individuals you could have met.  Always there to encourage, cheer on and, if needed occasionally, get me out of a pickle.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, sadly losing her battle in 2013 after going through many treatments.  Most would never have actually realised she was living with cancer during this time as she mostly tried to ignore it and live life to fullest (joining spin classes in between chemo sessions and having weekends away walking). My Mum ate well, exercised (a lot), a non smoker, moderate drinker and lived a healthy life.  She also checked and reported symptoms early so she was a perfect example of what we should all do.  Sadly,  she was just unlucky.

On September 23rd 2022 I’ll be heading out to Nepal to start my eight day climb to Everest Base Camp and reach the attitude of 5364m before taking another four long walking days to descend. I'm training hard and whilst sometimes it feels relentless other days I'm loving every minute. I have some incredibly committed friends and understanding family who are right there with me, encouraging me and some through hours of walking, running, cycling alongside me.  I already know there’ll be times when I need to dig deep and draw on the very qualities that my mum was made of. 

My trip to Nepal and personal challenge to reach Everest Base Camp is completely self funded so any donations received will go directly to Prevent Breast Cancer. A massive thank you for your support 😍

Predict. Prevent. Protect. They call it their mantra. As the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer, they’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, they’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, they believe they can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, they’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease.