50 Climbs at 50! Quite a challenge! (Am I fit enoug?)

Raising for two charities relevant to me - it's so hard to choose!

Cancer affects so many people! My own social circles have enough people who have experienced cancer or have family members who've experienced cancer, including sadly some who have died as a result.

I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2001 and treated with surgery, chemotherapy and later radiotherapy. When I relapsed in 2002 I took part in a clinical trial of a new treatment based on Paclitaxel, an extract of the yew tree. This treatment significantly increased the survival rate for cisplatin resistant testicular cancer with one in three of us surviving the trial. Later research would go on to improve efficacy and reduce side effects.

The NHS state that one in two of us will experience cancer within our life times. This is higher than the 1/3 I remember quoted when I was ill. I would hope one day that we can just reliably treat it with few side effects, that the experiences of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are things of the past. There are exciting ideas if we can bring them to light.

I plan to attempt 50 climbs on Harrogate Climbing Wall's roped walls in one day. There are enough climbs up to grade 5C to achieve this, ranging from 10 metre tall top-rope climbs to 14 metre tall overhanging lead climbs.