On the 29th May 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first team to conquer the 8848m/29035ft peak revered as ‘Sagarmatha’ in Nepal, ‘Chomolungma’ in Tibet and more universally, ‘Mount Everest’.

  

On the 29th May 2002, my first born and much loved son Thomas succumbed to extreme prematurity, aged just 22 days, having been born thirteen weeks early, weighing in at just 654g (1lb 7oz). Tom’s surprise early arrival followed the rapid onset of a severe and life threatening form of pre-eclampsia (H.E.L.L.P Syndrome) 27 weeks into my wife Victoria’s pregnancy.  

  

In the short time that Thomas graced our lives, he and we were cared for with much love and compassion by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, support staff and external charities in Southampton General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care unit (the only unit in the UK with an intensive care cot available at the time).

  

Much of the special care equipment, the many support groups and a lot of the neonatal research undertaken at Southampton and most other hospitals is funded through charitable giving.

 

It is with this in mind that 10 years on, both in memory of my son Thomas and because his younger brother Samuel had also needed and benefited from special care (after arriving eight weeks early in 2006), I will be attempting my own Everest adventure in support of the baby charity, Bliss.   

  

Bliss provide vital support and care for premature and sick babies and their families at what are some of the most critical and frightening times in their lives, as well as funding ground breaking neonatal and premature birth research, all the while campaigning for the very best care for all of our babies, but in particular those born too early, too small or too sick.

 

On the 28 September 2012, I will depart for the start of a 17 day, self funded expedition from Kathmandu, via Lukla in Nepal to the base camp of Mount Everest, covering some 38 uphill miles and ascending to a maximum height of 5647m/18527ft, summiting Kala Pattar in the process.

 

Along the way I will encounter and have to conquer myself the effects of an ageing body, extreme altitude, harsh terrain and extreme cold, as well as a hair raising (for those that have some!) landing and takeoff from one of the world’s most infamous high altitude airports. These few downsides will be more than tempered by the region’s outstanding high altitude vistas, the legendary hospitality of the Nepalese people and the support of everyone back home.    

 

Please join me in my endeavour and give whatever you can in support of this extremely worthwhile cause. I am paying for this trip out of my own pocket, so every single penny raised will benefit Bliss directly, even more so if you remember to tick the Gift Aid box, which will allow the charity to reclaim the tax on your donation.

 

Many thanks, or as they say in Nepal, “dhanyabad”…