Derek Irvine's Fundraising Page
Derek Irvine is raising money for Cancer Research UK
In memory of John Irvine
Story
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.
Here is my story
On 14th of June I embarked on a 5 day introduction to Alpine mountaineering course in the Alps which, subject to weather and my fitness permitting , would result on an attempt to summit Mount Blanc.
I was doing the climb to raise money for cancer research and in recognition of the treatment my father received at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh between January and May 2007.
Sadly my father lost his battle against the disease but the level of care and compassion he received from the nursing staff and specialist team lead by Professor Alan Price at the Western General Cancer Centre was so caring that I wanted to do something to show my appreciation for all the excellent work they do every day for so many people.
Unfortunately a few things thwarted my attempt on MT Blanc - unprecedented levels of snow which created a severe avalanche risk , my climbing colleague suffering from the effects of altitude when we went over 3,000 mtrs and the death of a guide and serious injury of 3 climbers the day before I was due to climb the mountain .
However , I did, as you can see from the picture, manage some really good climbing including Grand Pardiso, which is the highest peak in Italy and well over twice the size of anything in the UK. The climb involved an early start setting off at 4.am to make the 4065m climb . It was extremely tiring and was the culmination or a hard 5 days learning to respect the mountains and the very variable and quite often dangerous conditions which are there.
I have now fallen in love with the region and would like to attempt more climbs in the future.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to this site and the many messages of support I have received . My guide confimed that I was fit and strong enough to make the attempt but it was genuinley not worth the risk.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to donate: Cancer Research will receive your money electronically and, if you are a taxpayer, an extra 28% in Gift Aid will be added to your donation at no cost to you.Again , many thanks for your support.
Derek