On 8th July 2023, Stan, Lois, and Arjun will be climbing Ben Nevis for the Rudy A Menon Foundation (The Rudy Mission).

Stan, Lois, and Arjun have known each other for many years though when it comes to nature and hiking, the three have very different opinions.

Lois is a natural athlete, a qualified yoga instructor, and an all-round nature lover. She’s a curious lifelong learner and climbing Ben Nevis will be an enjoyable challenge for her especially as she will most likely be leading the pack and encouraging Stan and Arjun to keep going.

Stan is a hard worker. What he lacks in athleticism, he more than compensates for with enthusiasm. He is currently going through a phase of his life in which he wants to take on as many challenges as he can (he promises this is not a mid-life crisis). Climbing Ben Nevis will be difficult for him but he’s up for the challenge and is confident he will be able to keep up with Lois.

Arjun is a city lover. He says he doesn’t “dislike” nature, but he prefers to experience it through the window of a car or from anywhere the mosquitos can’t get him (there aren’t any midges in July…right??). Climbing Ben Nevis will be like living out a nightmare for him. He’s not sure why he signed up and clearly has no idea what he’s in for.

The Rudy A Menon Foundation was set up in 2015 to honour Rudy, who sadly lost his battle with a rare form of inoperable brain cancer called Gliomatosis Cerebri in 2013. Gliomatosis Cerebri is an extremely rare cancer that predominantly affects children, teenagers, and young adults. There are no treatments and no clinical trials. Unlike many other forms of brain cancer, it does not manifest itself as a lump, but instead is like a spider's web of cancer threads that spread deep into the brain, making it impossible to remove surgically, or to treat with radiation. The prognosis for those diagnosed with this disease is poor, with a 100% fatality rate. The Rudy A Menon Foundation works closely with the Institute of Cancer Research in London as well as other labs in Rome and Boston to fund research into Gliomatosis Cerebri and other forms of inoperable brain cancer. Earlier this year the Foundation announced the second Rudy A Menon Foundation PhD Studentship,which will be funded purely by donations from supporters like you.

Read more here: https://www.icr.ac.uk/blogs/science-talk/page-details/no-one-should-have-to-lose-a-loved-one-due-to-lack-of-research​

Website: https://www.rudyamenon.org/ Charity #: 1170787

A bit about Ben Nevis: 

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is 4,411 feet (1345m) above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for 459 miles. Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Highland region of Lochaber, close to the town of Fort William.