My passion for adventure is the by-product
of a love for the outdoors instilled by rural Canadian roots and an inherent
sense of ‘wanderlust’. These same rural roots have also instilled in me the
importance of community and my personal responsibility in playing a part to
make it better.
Over the course of the literal (and proverbial) ‘highs’ and
‘lows’ of the past 10 years of adventure and expeditions, I’ve sought to leverage my experiences climbing
some of the highest mountains on earth as opportunities to inspire others and
to give back to my community by raising funds and awareness to support the
health and wellbeing of women and babies around the world through research,
training and education.
The Challenge
From June 10th - July 1st 2018, I’ll brave
severe conditions to climb the tallest mountain in North America – Denali via
its notoriously challenging west buttress route. Located 130 miles north of
Anchorage, Alaska, Denali rises an icy 6,190m (20,310 feet) out of a sea of
glaciers and other peaks that comprise the Alaska Range.
The adventure will be extreme. High
altitude, sub-Arctic conditions, fickle weather, unpredictable storms, steep
slopes, and deep crevasses combine to make Denali one of the most difficult and
severe mountains in the world. The climb will involve relaying loads of
equipment over 66 kilometers (41 miles) in 22 days, establishing camps and
climbing slowly enough for proper acclimatization. In addition, I’ll be
carrying a 60 pound pack and be pulling a 40 pound sled, loaded with gear to
establish camps on the mountain in preparation to get into position to summit
in late June.
I’ll draw from a significant track-record
of experience from over 25 major expeditions to the highest mountains on earth
including Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and others in the high Himalaya, Andes and
Alps. On these expeditions I’ve learned
to ‘dig deep’, tapping into reserves of strength and determination to put one
foot in front of the other. But even before that, I’ve learned to manage
training and extensive preparation around the commitments of a demanding job by
honing skills in discipline, commitment, courage and creativity.
Giving back
I wanted to be in a position to give back to the communities and the people that have played such an important role in my life. This is why I have chosen charities in the UK and Canada.
I'm raising
funds and awareness to support the life saving work of Women’s College Hospital Foundation (WCH) in Canada and Wellbeing of Women (WoW) in the UK, focusing specifically on research into women’s cancers including
breast cancer and gynaecological cancers including ovarian cancer, cervical
cancer and womb cancer.
This field of research into women’s cancers
is hugely underfunded, particularly given the staggering and sobering
facts about women’s cancers in the UK and Canada.
Wellbeing of Women (UK)
Wellbeing of Women is the charity dedicated
to improving the health of women and babies, to make a difference to
everybody's lives today and tomorrow. Every year the charity invests in special
research projects and allocate funds towards the training of specialist doctors
and midwives. Established in 1964 Wellbeing of Women remains unique in having
such a comprehensive remit for women’s health. Wellbeing of Women are one of
very few funders of peer-reviewed medical research on topics such as the
menopause and endometriosis alongside work seeking to prevent premature birth
and recurrent miscarriage and to discover new therapies for gynecological
cancer.
Women’s College Hospital (Canada)
For over a century, WCH has been at the
forefront of closing health gaps for women and their loved ones and is an
internationally recognized leader in the research, diagnosis and care of
women’s cancers. By scaling up important innovations and education in the areas
of breast and ovarian cancers, WCH reaches healthcare providers, institutions,
women and their families in every part of Canada, through the national reach of
the Canadian Cancer Society, with a goal to deliver new models of care.
Mountains of our lives
“Climbing Denali is no different from any
other challenges we aim to overcome in our lives. Whether starting a new job, mending a broken
relationship or stepping outside of our comfort zone, we’re all climbing a
mountain of sorts. These experiences
require us to be stronger than we think we are, endure more than we think we
can, and become more than we dreamed possible. By supporting the work of WCH
and Wellbeing of Women I want to play a direct role in making those proverbial
mountains so much easier to climb by helping to advance the health and
wellbeing of women and creating solutions for the healthcare system that
benefit all people – making everyone’s lives better and easier today and
tomorrow."
Click here to help fund lifesaving research: Wellbeing of Women:
Click here to help fund lifesaving research: Womens College Hospital:
Click here to help fund lifesaving research: Womens College Hospital:
For more
information:
About
Wellbeing of Women
Wellbeing of Women is the charity dedicated
to improving the health of women and babies, to make a difference to
everybody's lives today and tomorrow. Every year the charity invests in special
research projects and allocate funds towards the training of specialist doctors
and midwives. Established in 1964 Wellbeing of Women have enabled the major
breakthrough's in obstetrics and gynecology.
Wellbeing of Women remains unique in having
such a comprehensive remit for women’s health. Wellbeing of Women are one of
very few funders of peer-reviewed medical research on topics such as the
menopause and endometriosis alongside work seeking to prevent premature birth
and recurrent miscarriage and to discover new therapies for gynecological
cancer.
About
Women’s College Hospital
For more than 100 years Women’s College
Hospital (WCH) has been developing revolutionary advances in healthcare. Today,
WCH is a world leader in the health of women and Canada’s leading, academic
ambulatory hospital. A champion of health equity, WCH advocates for the health
of all women from diverse cultures and backgrounds and ensures their needs are
reflected in the care they receive. It focuses on delivering innovative
solutions that address Canada’s most pressing issues related to population
health, patient experience and system costs. The WCH Institute for Health
System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) is developing new, scalable models of
care that deliver improved outcomes for patients and sustainable solutions for
the health system as a whole.
http://womenscollegehospitalfoundation.com
To donate and show your support: Womens College Hospital:
To donate and show your support: Womens College Hospital:
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