Love makes us do the extraordinary. 

It’s just over two years ago that we lost Stuart, my wonderful husband – and the love of my life. When you find your soulmate, you believe it is forever. Cancer had other ideas. 

As he faced his battle with this dreaded disease, I promised Stuart I would make him proud and honour his memory by giving back and raising money for cancer research. 

I had no idea how I would tackle this, but a chance invitation from a friend – to trek to Everest Base Camp – came just at the right time.

I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try something new, and getting to Everest Base Camp will certainly be that! 

I’ll depart October 19 for Kathmandu and begin the journey to base camp, which ultimately ends at 5,364m above sea level, hopefully on October 31. I’ve been training diligently, but altitude and a host of other issues will no doubt prove challenging. 

Thankfully I shall have four friends, Rob, Lana, Steve and John there beside me, and with the love and encouragement of family and friends around the world, I’ll get there!

Annabelle, our 9 year old granddaughter wanted to be involved in this effort to honour her Pop pop’s memory and has been busy raising money in the UK. She plans to raise more while we are trekking and is my inspiration.

My chosen charities have a common goal in their life saving research to beat cancer:  Cancer Research UK and the MalaghanInstitute NZ.

Cancer Research UK – funds research for all cancers, their strategy puts discovery research and excellence at the heart of what they do. Understanding the mechanisms of how cancer develops and progresses to unlock new ways to prevent, detect and treat it.

The Malaghan Institute is New Zealand’s world-class independent biomedical research institute with a focus on breakthrough discoveries in immunology and immunotherapy. They are a team of scientists and clinicians who work very hard to chase the goal, a cure for Cancer and to put an end to the suffering. 

When we support these charities, we fund research. And when we fund research, they make more discoveries for people affected by cancer.

Your donation big or small – will make a difference, thank you so very much for your support.