The Hardest Climb, For the Greatest Men

On 11 August 2025, at 15:32 local time, I reached the summit of K2 in Pakistan — the world’s second-highest mountain. Every step of that climb was driven by the memory of my dad, Thomas Angus Mack MBE (Royal Air Force), and my grampa, Reuben Marshall Rogers (Royal Corps of Signals).

They were the two most important men in my life: strong, kind, and full of character. To lose them both within a few months of each other was devastating — but what gave me comfort was knowing that in their final time, they were cared for with compassion, dignity, and love at Erskine Bishopton Home.

Erskine wasn’t just a place of care. The staff made us feel like family. My dad came to Erskine after a stroke left him needing 24-hour nursing, while my grampa — still sprightly in his 90s but legally blind — lived just downstairs in an assisted living apartment. I would spend my Covid-allocated 45 minutes each day with Dad, sitting by his side as illness slowly took him from us. Afterwards, I would go downstairs to Grampa, who would always be waiting for me with an ice cream — just like when I was little — and one of his make-everything-better hugs. Even as he grew frail, he still found ways to look after me.

When I lost them both, I didn’t know how to carry the weight of that grief. The mountains became my way of processing it — one step, one climb, one summit at a time. Three years on, standing on the top of K2 was my way of saying they are still with me, always.

I want to give something back to Erskine, so other families can feel the same care and compassion that we did. Every donation will help Erskine Veterans Charity continue their incredible work supporting veterans and their loved ones at the most difficult times of their lives.

If you can, please donate in memory of two remarkable men, and in support of a charity that truly changes lives.

Thank you,

Kirsty ❤️