This year I’ll be swapping high heels and cocktails for hiking boots and energy drinks and taking on one of the biggest challenges of my life - climbing the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. What I do in the name of charity.
On 21 September 2011 I will set off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and I hope by that date the fundraising total will be sitting nice and flush at £20K for UCAN. Thats just £1 for every foot I have to climb!
Every penny will go towards UCAN's new fundraising target of £2.5 million to create 2 integrated operating theatres at ARI which will enable the use of robotics in surgery
This is a partnership project involving principally the urological, general surgery and gynaecological teams at ARI but the robot – the first of its kind in Scotland – will be available for local people who need specialised operations from other surgical specialties too, such as paediatric surgery, ENT and cardiac surgery. It will be particularly beneficial for patients with prostate, colorectal (bowel and rectal) and gynaecological cancers and has been proven to offer numerous benefits in terms of success
While I’m out bolstering support for donations I’ll also be busy training for the challenge which will see me covering X many miles over x days to reach the peak which stands at X above sea level. Not to mention the trek back down again…
I started my training on Hogmanay, when I tackled Clachnaben. Apparently it's a tenth of the height of Kilimanjaro, so that just about covers day one of the great African challenge...!
There were no sherpas and fortunately the bladder was under control - that's something I'll think about later....There were pockets of deep snow in places and my climbing attempt was more in the style of Bambi on ice rather than a seasoned mountaineer. But hey, we all need to start somewhere…
My walking partner was Colin and his three collies. Colin is coming to Tanzania with me, but fortunately not the dogs. Colin was a bit sweaty at the end of it but looked like he could do it all again. I felt like I'd worked and was quite pleased with myself - until the next day when I woke up and felt like a Sherman tank had run over my legs.
However with eight more months of training I’m sure it will get easier and my climbing ability will make the likes of Sir Ranulph Fiennes proud. Well, one can only hope.
Thanks in advance for your support. No matter what the donation, big or small, it’s much appreciated and will play an important part in improving the lives of those affected by cancer.
Thank you.
