Director of Nursing, Angela Wallace, is feeling on top of the world, after reaching the summit of Kilamanjaro and personally raising £6,357 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
At 19,340 feet, Kilamanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent. Although requiring no technical climbing or mountaineering experience, the biggest challenge and danger is the high altitude; indeed climbers are more likely to die from altitude sickness, rather than falls. Angela was on the mountain itself for seven days, and thankfully kept well. Some of her team members, however, were affected by sickness and didn’t manage to make it to the summit.
The preparation, fundraising and planning for the venture took l8 months and Angela was guided and supported by Macmillan, Discovery Adventure, friends, family and NHS colleagues. But as she explained, the trip threw up some unexpected challenges.
“The size and scale of Mount Kilamanjaro, and meeting 29 strangers, three crews and 70 porters. Then there was the lack of oxygen to contend with, not to mention wet clothes, fellow hikers being unwell, no toilets, no washing facilties and no Diet Coke!”
Angela’s group raised £200,000 in total – enough to fund a Macmillan nurse for over three years.
For anyone thinking of climbing Kilamanjaro Angela’s advice is “Just Do It.” She’s now admitted to having caught the fundraising bug so watch this space for future challenges!
