Determined supporter Anna Hardwick battled blizzards and blindness as she made her way to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
The 25 year old from Hampshire struggled through 60mph winds and temperatures as low as -14 degrees Celsius last Sunday (15th September). She even began suffering temporary high-altitude retinopathy due to a lack of oxygen.
Anna said: “I didn’t want to say anything to my guide as I thought he’d make me turn back. It was absolutely terrifying, but I would not stop.”
The 25-year-old scaled the 6,000 metre Tanzanian mountain in honour of her mother, Theresa, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in July 2019.
Theresa was diagnosed with a low-grade meningioma, after a chance case of food poisoning sent her brain into a 90-minute seizure. Doctors revealed that she had been living with an egg-sized tumour for around 30 years.
Following surgery in 2019, Theresa says she is feeling “liberated” – especially now that her driving license has been returned to her.
Having made an unsuccessful attempt five years ago, Anna was set on trying again. Before her latest climb, she said: “I’m not going to be made to come down unless it’s in a body bag; I’m getting to the top of that mountain."
Anna surpassed her goal to raise £1,800 to help fund research at our Centres of Excellence and improve treatments and outcomes for people like her mum. She said: “The way my mother has dealt with her diagnosis and continued to be the most incredible person… was my inspiration.”
You can support Anna's amazing fundraising feat and donate to us via her JustGiving page.
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Published Wednesday 18th September 2024.