Updated on Jan 27th 2013 at 8:09 AM from the JustGiving API

well we did it! thank you so much everyone for all your help and support. I couldnt have done it without you. a fantastic experience, all for a good cause. heres hoping for a cure for this awful disease soon xx

Updated on Oct 30th 2012 at 2:55 PM from the JustGiving API

Well, I'm back safe and sound! I had an amazing trip. The mountain was like nothing I had experienced before. A beautiful yet baron place that dominated the world around you. The walks were not punishing but the altitude was! I was making good progress and although the altitude impacted my breathing almost immediately, I was managing really well. Summit night proved a different story and at 5300 meters asl, I was forced to turn back and head to camp. I have never experienced anything like it. The nausea, breathlessness, pounding headache and feeling of sheer exhaustion from lack of oxygen was immense. I am proud of what I have achieved yet still very disappointed I didn't summit kili. Maybe I'll try again someday....

Updated on Oct 6th 2012 at 10:15 PM from the JustGiving API

OMG! It's only 4 sleeps away! I'm so excited!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This challenge has a million meanings to me. But I'll only mention a few...

For those who know me and my love of hiking,  Kilimanjaro will be a tough challenge but a lifetime goal achieved when i hit Uhuru Summit. The ultimate feeling of elation!

Many of you will have known my late husband, John Kelly - one of the greatest men to have ever walked this planet- was a cystic fibrosis sufferer with Type 1 Diabetes thrown in there just for good measure!

For those that never had the pleasure, he truely was.

I cared for John and his relentless, murderous conditions without ever understanding his diabetes. I remember being very impatient with certain aspects of his diabetes. I remember saying to him one day whilst he was mid hypo - 'do you really need to shovel all that food into your mouth like that?!'

Looking back, if I had known more about the disease I think I could have helped a lot more. Education is key and vital both for the sufferer and the carer.

John - this walk is for you and I know you will be with me every step :)

Johns parting gift to me was Type 1 diabetes - how nice!

I was diagnosed in 2005 with this god-awful disease.  Its been a bit of a rotten journey so far to say the least, it has thrown some serious issues at me that have stopped me in my tracks, but its not going to rule my life. Im going to rule it!

The answer to the question I asked john that day, I quickly came to realise,  is yes!

The help and support of my diabetes medical team and the PCT has been incredible and half the reason I am able to take part in this challenge.

Thank you :)

Sue - Yes, this walk is for you and the continued fight against diabetes - i'll show it, it cant beat me - at least not yet.

And yet there is a positive side to all of this....

The other half of the reason I can do this walk is Andy Lavender- another one of the greatest men that will ever walk this planet.

I met Andy at a diabetes carb counting course. He has been a massive support through some very difficult and tough times. he is the reason I live. My rock and my love.

Andy also has type 1 diabetes, he suffers with retinopathy and neuropathy, just two of the horrendous side effects of diabetes.

Andy campaigns continuously for the education of people with diabetes, carers for people with diabetes and the members of the general public who dont know it yet, but are increasingly likely to develope it. He dedicates his time and all his efforts to this and being part of a buddy programme, which I know the people he is in touch with benefit greatly.

Even with all  this, he is always there for me, to love me, pick me up and dust me down so I can start again.

Having another diabetic to talk to, experience hypos with, discuss medication and carb counting with, troubleshooting, and celebrating positives with is just something that has been and always will be the best thing ever. I can't tell you enough how much of a difference it makes!

Every diabetic should have a diabetic buddy!

Andy - this walk is for you, I know you will be with me every step of the way, and to help us in our fight against this terrible disease :)

Also my family and their never ending support, Mum, Huw and Jane in particular.

Dad, I know if you were still here, you too :)

The funds raised in this expedition will go to what I consider to be the least recognised biggest UK killer. To help reduce the number of people diagnosed through the education of EVERYONE about this disease and, hopefully,  a furture cure :)

Thanks for reading my story

 

Sue

 x

 

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.