As those who know me understand, I have a deep love of the world’s wild places and love to climb and spend time in the big mountains. Well it does not get any bigger than the Himalayas and so I have been training really hard over the last months for this huge challenge.

I have never been to the Himalayas before, but I got really inspired by
my friend Jerry Gore’s expedition to Cholatse (6,440m.) in the Nepalese Himalayalast autumn, becoming the first ever Type 1 Diabetic Himalayan Mountain Guide.
Working alongside mountain guide Mal Haskins he led 9 clients to the summit while injecting insulin up to 8 times a day and with a needle testing his blood sugar the same amount of times each day, just to stay alive.

I met Jerry a few years ago, on a climbing trip to Southern France. I knew that he climbed but I did not realise then that it was such a passion which he now uses to raise money for his charity A4D. Each year he tackles world class mountaineering climbs called Jerry’s Insulin Challenges specifically to raise money for A4D.

Action4Diabetics is a UK registered charity. Its mission is to transform
and save the lives of young people with Type 1 Diabetes in South East Asia. Not only does A4D saves lives by donating lifesaving insulin and the equipment to monitor a patient’s blood sugar levels, but they also relieve suffering, bring hope and create opportunity to many innocent young lives. Without the help of A4D these forgotten poverty-stricken children would die slowly and painfully over a 6-8 month period. This horrible slow death causes immense suffering for the parents and the close-knit communities in which they live. Imaging watching your own child slowly wither away and die in front of you in real pain!

Type 1 Diabetes is a long-term chronic condition. It is an incurable
disease. But with insulin, a blood sugar monitor and the necessary education to understand and deal with their condition, Type 1 Diabetics have a very high chance to live a full life.

I am very impressed by the fact that Jerry nor his cofounder Charles
Toomey doesn’t take a salary, or claim any expenses from the money that is donated. They both cover all their own expenses themselves, so you can be sure the money you donate goes directly to the children in need.

I am looking to raise a min. of €1,000 for A4D so please be as generous
as you can. Every cent that you donate will go directly to help innocent young lives and allow children as young as 3 years old to at least have the chance to live long, fulfilled lives. Surely this is the basic right of all human beings?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Please donate today
and help make a real difference in a world that is largely indifferent to pain and suffering.

Erika