Base Camp 4 Breast Cancer
Michelle Moffitt, Marketing Manager, The Chimes, Uxbridge
On 7 November 2008 Michelle took on the challenge of a lifetime, trekking from Lukla, Nepal to Base Camp at Mount Everest. Soon the reality set in that she would be walking up and down hills for 16 days, camping at -20 degrees, enduring the inevitable altitude sickness and surviving without Vegemite for 2 weeks! Most might ask why she would set such a goal. For Michelle this was not only a personal goal but an opportunity to raise vital funds for a charity close to her heart.With one woman in nine being diagnosed with breast cancer and over 45,000 women diagnosed annually in the UK, breast cancer is a disease women need to be aware of. Having seen her own mother fight breast cancer and watch her journey to recovery, Michelle decided it was time to raise funds and help increase awareness. Michelle’s chosen charity was Breast Cancer Campaign as they focus on ‘researching the cure’ and she sees that as the key.
Having spent 6 months fundraising and training, Michelle finally felt ready to achieve the mission. However, no one had prepared her for the most “exciting” part of the adventure – the landing on the extremely short runway at Lukla airport! The trek itself was made up of long days of 8 hours, up and down hills, along swing bridges, through villages, past monasteries and eating chocolate bars. The evenings were a chance to bond with fellow trekkers, eat curried potatoes and dhal (every day), and acclimatise prior to an 8pm curfew as the temperatures dropped very quickly.
For Michelle the trek was more mentally than physically challenging thanks to proper training. After 10 days trekking and a 4am start the goal was finally reached - Everest Base Camp at 5,357m (or 17,625 ft). What an achievement. 12 out of a group of 20 reached the goal, putting into perspective the scale of Michelle’s achievement. With a second wind she also hiked to the top of Kalapathar, 5,647m (or 18,580ft) to see the panoramic views of Everest and Base Camp.
This was the journey of a lifetime and having worked hard on fundraising through events, coin collections and the generosity of friends, colleagues and family, Michelle is pleased to have raised over £7,000 for Breast Cancer Campaign and hopes this money helps find the cure.
Included in the amount raised was £1,000 from the Liberty International Staff Recognition Fund allocated to make additional donations, supporting members of staff raising money for charity.
Well done Michelle!
