Last January, at the age of 38, I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer which had spread to a number of lymph nodes. The diagnosis was a complete shock and devastating for my family, having lost my Dad to the same disease, at the same stage, only 5 years earlier. I went through surgery to remove the tumour along with completing 6 months of chemotherapy during covid, meaning that most hospital appointments were done pretty much alone.

Although this was a horrific time, I connected with some amazing young people on social media, who had also been diagnosed with the disease. It became apparent how many of us there are, often with similar stories of being told they were too young to be affected and then receiving a late diagnosis. 61% of young people will be diagnosed at stage 3 or 4.

I connected with 3 amazing women who are also mums of young children diagnosed in their 30s and they had decided to take on the ultimate challenge of trekking to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2022!! I am beyond excited to join this EPIC and once in a lifetime challenge!!

Some facts about the climb

· Mount Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania, Africa, and at 5,895 metres tall, it is the world’s tallest freestanding mountain.
· It is one of the tallest volcanos ever to break through the Earth’s crust!
· The temperature ranges from 35 degrees at the base to -20 at the summit
· The trek will take 8 days and will involve camping on the mountain!
· On average, the Kilimanjaro success rate for the summit is 66%!

I am completing this trip to raise awareness and funds for Bowel Cancer UK, who have been drastically hit by COVID. The funds raised will also cover some of my trip costs. Bowel Cancer UK is the leading bowel cancer charity and is determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is the UK's second biggest cancer killer, with over 16,000 people dying annually of a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable.

I'm determined to help Bowel Cancer UK to change that. The money you donate will help to provide support and information to patients and their families, enable them to fund and support research into bowel cancer and to campaign for early diagnosis and best treatment and care for all.

Any donations, no matter how small would be massively appreciated and will make a difference.

Thank you all so much xxx