At 13.42 Saturday we reached the summit of Ben Nevis. It was an unusually sunny and peaceful day. Our ascent took 4 ¼ hours and our descent just over 4 ½ hours. This was the hardest physical and mental challenge I have undertaken in my life.

We exceeded our fundraising target for the British Liver Trust thanks to the generosity of friends, family and co-workers. A big thank you to those of you who donated! Your generosity kept us going higher and higher up that mountain – not reaching the summit was not an option as we couldn’t face you all on Monday (-;

For those of you who would still like to donate, there is still time as our link will be up for a few more weeks.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My husband Dan and I will be climbing Ben Nevis 15th - 17th October to raise money for the British Liver Trust. As many of you are aware I was diagnosed with Liver Disease back in 2005. Since being diagnosed I have taken control of my condition and lost 3 stone in the process to improve my chances of my condition not further deteriorating further and reducing my chances I will need a transplant in my 40's. Unfortunately most forms of liver disease are not reversible. I live a normal life today, thanks to the information provided to me by the British Liver Trust.

 

The British Liver Trust is the UK's only national liver disease charity for adults and endeavours to help people like me overcome the challenges of liver disease and educate others across the UK through preventative publications, support hotlines and campaigns. The Research done by the British Liver trust also aims to fund relevant research that improves the lives of people with liver disease, This has included raising funds to enable projects and studies related to first and foremost alcohol-related liver disease, but also liver cancer and viral hepatitis.

 

Some facts about Liver Disease:

It is estimated there are 2 million people in the UK who currently suffer from liver disease

Liver disease is the only major cause of death still increasing year-on-year in the UK

Liver disease is the fifth ‘big killer’ in England & Wales, after heart, cancer, stroke and respiratory disease

Liver disease kills more men than Parkinson's disease and more women than cancer of the cervix

16,087 people in the UK died from liver disease in 2008, a 4.5% increase since 2007

This includes 13,805 people in England and Wales, 1,903 in Scotland and 379 in Northern Ireland

Liver disease deaths have increased by 12% in just three years, since 2005, totalling 46,244 lives lost. If these rates continue, deaths from liver disease are predicted to double in 20 years

Twice as many people now die from liver disease as in 1991

Liver disease kills more people than diabetes and road deaths combined

 

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles, standing at 1,344 metres high (or 4,408 feet). It is a major challenge for any UK climber or walker and we expect to spend between 5-7 hours on the mountain that weekend.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.