What am I doing

In June 2022, I will be setting off on a new adventure, to climb the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro is the largest mountain in Africa and the largest free standing mountain in the world! This trip will take place over 9 days altogether and include 6 days of trekking (68km of walking).  I will be doing this with other university students via a company called ‘Choose a Challenge’, whilst supporting the brilliant Marie Curie charity. 

Why am I doing this

From a young age my brother and I had been exposed to trekking and mountain climbing, and now it has become a hobby. The two people who introduced us to this were my Uncle and my dad. My dad, Jayesh Chauhan was born in Nairobi, Kenya, which is next door to the mountain. His father, my grandfather, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in his early 20’s.  This amazing effort by my grandfather was not lost on my dad and over the years the goal of following in his father's footsteps became a dream. My Uncle Rob and dad made plans and placed it on their ‘to do’ list.

Before they could turn the dream into a reality and at the age of only 56 my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour.  Glioblastoma is a stage 4 cancer and is extremely aggressive. They are the most common primary brain tumour in adults. The life expectancy after being diagnosed is short.

In the blink of an eye life would never be the same again. As a family we changed our way of living to suit what was best for dad’s needs. The effects of a Glioblastoma on someone vary, and can only be slowed but not stopped. Over a year and a half we slowly witnessed the changes in dads actions and behavior, as the cancer began eating away at his brain. 

Dad fought back and fought hard refusing to give in.  However despite his, ours and the doctors best efforts, dad's condition deteriorated.  It was subtle changes to start with like partial loss of vision and concentration with mild depression. As time moved on things worsened, his sight and speech slowly disappeared. Towards the last few months he had no control over his body. His legs gave way and he was incapable of communicating with us properly. He struggled to do anything independently and needed full time care - which my Mum, brother and I, with the help of family and friends provided.

Despite his condition, there were three things my dad never stopped saying until his last few days when he could no longer speak. The first one being that he loved us, the second, thanking everyone around him and the third, telling himself ‘C’mon Jayesh you can do this, c’mon Jayesh…’ My dad was a true gentleman until the end. My dad was our Hero. 

I was meant to start Aberdeen University in September 2019.  However due to dad's worsening condition and the distances involved, I decided to defer my placement. This meant I could provide support for my family to help look after dad and be by his side the whole way.

Unfortunately the fight for dad was short lived.  On Sunday 13th October 2019 just a little before 2pm, dad fell asleep in my mums arms with my brother, myself and his family by his side.

Dad had so many unfulfilled dreams, probably as we all do when our time is up.  But this dream, this goal, this mountain, is one dream that is very personal to us as a family. I know my dad will be behind me all the way and I fully intend to stand on the summit of the mountain and feel proud of my achievement in memory of my dad.

Why Support me

My family and I saw first hand how important end of life care is and what a difference it can make to vulnerable families like us.  Marie Curie cares for more than 140,000 terminally ill people in the UK a year. It is a charity which relies on donations, two thirds of which come from donations and supporters and the rest from the NHS.  Although my dad was not at a Marie Curie Hospice, but at The Princess Alice Hospice in Surrey, we saw how essential their work is and what a difference it can make to families who are in desperate need of help and support at this vital time. Without the help of thousands of supporters, hospices and charities like Princess Alice and Marie Curie would not exist and these services are vital for those in need at the most crucial time in their lives.  Now more than ever, in these unprecedented times, these charities need our help. So please, please support me in supporting them! 

My family and friends will join me in fundraising events throughout the year...watch this space and feel free to join us where you can!!

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