In April 2016, my dear mother passed away as a result of a lengthy battle with a condition that was unfortunately caused through medical negligence which triggered her Alzheimer's and eventually put her in a nursing home where she experienced regular states of confusion. My mother lived in Australia, on the opposite side of the world to me, and 12 years ago I made the difficult decision to start my life afresh in the United Kingdom. I was 34 and she was a very youthful 73. Even when she turned 80 in 2011, she was still a sophisticated and classy looking woman who did not resemble her age. Unfortunately due to the recent situation, her health deteriorated and her mind grew increasingly unstable which was very difficult to deal with when I was able to see her. I was raised by her alone after my father passed away when I was five so seeing her confused as to who I was at times was very tough.

Alzheimer's tends to affect family members and friends a lot more than one could imagine. Being faced with blank expressions, loss of short and long term memories, and confusion as to who you are is very hard to deal with. My mother was always a proud woman and I know that deep down in this state, she would have hated what she had become. Nevertheless, she battled on as best she could. She had a lot of local support from family and that put my mind at ease. But, there is always an underlying feeling of guilt when you are not there to contribute, and I will carry this with me for a very long time.

Alzheimer's is a horrible condition. There is no cure for it, just treatment. And as such, I feel any contribution towards its research is going to go a long way with today's advanced medical efforts. 

I have recently separated from my wife of 8 years and I have two children that are my whole world. As a photographer, I also have a very creative spirit and when my wife physically separated from me, leaving the house empty during the week, I felt the need personally to just get out and explore nature to clear my head. 

Combining my passion for photography and my renewed love for exploring the United Kingdom led me to challenge myself and begin climbing.

I surprised myself mentally and physically in being able to regain some strong determination and overcome the difficulties in pushing the boundaries and taking on more difficult challenges. My first climb was Snowdon - at night, alone with just a head torch, clouds rolling in - with the aim of reaching the summit before sunrise. I achieved that - it was pretty daunting at times, but I made it to the summit at 3.12am and the elation I felt, along with pride was unmatched. So I continued. Next climb was Ben Nevis, followed by Scafell Pike. For someone who has never climbed before, I felt so proud to have been able to complete the United Kingdom's Three Peaks in three weeks.

I now have the bug. I want to do more. This is really soul cleansing and I have put myself to the ultimate challenge - Everest Base Camp in March 2017. A high altitude trek in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The experience of trekking and traversing this landscape, along with the mental and physical challenge associated with it, has it earmarked as my driving force behind this fundraising. I will be doing a huge amount of training and preparation for this over the six months leading up to it.

As I'm a professional photographer, I'm obviously planning on documenting my 17 day adventure and I'll tie in an auction of a special commemorative coffee-table style photo book of my journey to Base Camp for anyone who supports me.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Any contributions of support really are meaningful as this is a huge test for me personally.

Thank you!

Anthony D'Angio