Addingham woman with terminal cancer completes Everest Marathon
"The Everest Marathon actually starts at an elevation of 5,300m [17,388ft], which is very taxing on the human body," she explained."The body is under stress because of the low oxygen in the air, so everyday simple tasks - getting in and out of your tent to walk to the dining tent or to walk to the toilet tent - can actually become very difficult."Your heart rate becomes elevated, breathing becomes more laborious - so if you can imagine trying to run a marathon at that altitude, how hard that actually is."Despite this, Dr Burke said the atmosphere among the competitors was "absolutely fantastic", with at least 200 participants from 32 different countries running in the marathon.
"Everyone was united by just wanting to be in the mountains and to experience something very different," Dr Burke said. "It is not just a marathon, it is more than that. It passes through the Sherpa villages, passes through the monasteries."It offers that real inside look into the cultural heritage of the Khumbu Valley."Dr Burke, who is Canadian, has been to the Everest region three times before, first visiting back in 2003.Her work involves studying exercise and its effects on cancer, and throughout her cancer treatment she said she had managed to stay fit, running to and from her hospital appointments as a way of coping.She has previously climbed four out of the seven highest peaks in the world - Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Elbrus in Russia, Kilimanjaro in Africa and Everest in Nepal.
Dr Burke said the Everest Marathon "played to my strengths as a mountaineer"."I summited Everest in 2005, so I do know what it's like to push myself in high altitudes. "That resilience, I have it within me, and I think it paid off."It took me seven hours and 41 minutes to complete the marathon, you can't compare this to a marathon at sea level."I ended up finishing fourth for females in the foreigner category, so I am very pleased with my result."
Dr Burke vowed not to give up on her passion for the mountains, and said: "Bigger mountains are coming next, watch this space."The Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon is an annual race which starts at Everest Base Camp and finishes in the town of Namche Bazaar.It is held on 29 May to celebrate the Everest ascent by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary on the same date in 1953.Not only did Dr Burke complete the marathon, to acclimatise less than two weeks before she also climbed the 20,075ft (6,119m) high Lobuche Peak in Nepal. She has raised more than £10,000 for the Macmillan cancer charity, which helped her during her treatment at Airedale Hospital and St James' Hospital in Leeds.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Doctors say 20,000 women a year - some as young as 30 - may need their healthy breasts removed to avoid cancer. Here's how to find out if YOU are one of those facing an agonising dilemma
It is a difficult decision that, until now at least, relatively few women have been forced to make: having their healthy breasts removed to prevent breast cancer. Their options are stark – face the prospect of a disease that has likely affected and even killed women in their families, or undergo a surgery described by doctors as 'medieval' and 'mutilating'.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Breast cancer warning to women over 70 amid calls for more screening
A 71-year-old woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer said had she left her screening any later her "story would've been very different". A mammogram discovered Judith Brown from Backwell, near Bristol, had a tumour in April 2024. She had not been screened for "some years" due to routine checks stopping at 70. Ms Brown said staff at Southmead Hospital told her to "spread the word" to women over 70 that they are still able to request a screening. She said: "My message is don't wait. Ask. Just because you can't feel something and you haven't had a mammogram or a test for any other cancer. Please, please go and ask." Ms Brown had a lumpectomy, surgery that removes the tumour and surrounding tissue, she said: "The care and attention that I had has been phenomenal, Southmead are just amazing."She also encourages others to take advantage of help that is on offer. "There's so much support out there, I had the benefit of Macmillan counselling," she told BBC Radio Bristol: "Thankfully I am fully fit again." Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK. Nearly 57,000 people diagnosed with it every year, most are women, however about 390 of these cases are in in seven women in the UK develop breast cancer during their lifetime and it is most common in women over the age of 50. Phoebe McCulloh, a clinical nurse specialist in breast screening at Southmead Hospital, told BBC Radio Bristol: "It's not just about finding lumps. You want to look out for any changes to the skin."That could be brushes, that could be an orange peel-like texture to the skin, very tiny dimples. It could be the skin sort of puckering or pulling in.""It could also be any changes to the nipple or areola and that could look like nipple inversion, fluid from the nipple or redness."As part of the "Wake Up Call" live broadcast series on BBC Radio Bristol's Breakfast Show presenter, Joe Sims, has been hearing from people who have had breast cancer in the hope it will encourage listeners to get checked for serious health conditions.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
I lost the love of my life to a blood clot when he died aged 33 – now I've been given a year left to live
TWO years after losing her husband to a sudden blood clot, Keelie Towler has been told she has just 12 months to live. She now fears her son will have to deal with the loss of a second parent, and is desperately trying to raise money to treat her condition to give her more time. 5 5 Keelie was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2021. When the 36-year-old from Wakefield first noticed a lump, she thought it would be something simple. She said: "I honestly expected the doctor to send me home with reassurance. "When they said it could be cancer, my whole body just went numb. "I didn't hear anything else after that. "All I could think about was my little boy. "I remember sitting in the waiting room trying to stay calm, but deep down I knew something was wrong." When first diagnosed, Keelie immediately began treatment with seven months of chemotherapy followed by surgery. This was followed by another 13 rounds of chemo and 15 sessions of radiotherapy. Following her gruelling treatment plan and many setbacks, Keelie finally received good news – the cancer had responded. Brave rodeo queen influencer dies at just 22 after being diagnosed with cancer when hit on leg with a football With things looking up, the mum and her partner, Scott, decided to sell their home and buy a bigger house, ready to settle into family life with Rupert. She said: 'After everything we'd been through, it finally felt like we could breathe. 'We were excited to move forward – just the three of us. 'It felt like the start of a new chapter, and I genuinely thought the worst was behind us.' 'One minute we were talking, the next he was gone' But heartbreak struck again when Scott suddenly collapsed at home and passed away from a blood clot at the age of 33. Keelie and Rupert, then just two years old, were both there when it happened. She said: 'It was traumatising. He was the love of my life. 'One minute we were talking, the next he was gone. 'I had to stay strong for Rupert, but inside I was shattered.' Despite the devastating loss, Keelie continued to rebuild her and her son's lives – until more health concerns crept in. She began suffering from symptoms she couldn't ignore, including persistent headaches and coordination problems. She said, 'I just didn't feel right. 'At first, I thought it was stress or grief, but then it got worse. 'I couldn't ignore it anymore – I knew something wasn't right.' Cancer returned In January 2024, she went to the hospital with what she believed was a pulled muscle in her chest. But a routine scan revealed the cancer had spread to her brain. At first, doctors hoped gamma knife treatment – a form of targeted radiation – might help. And for a while, the tumour began to shrink as Keelie clung to the hope that the treatment was working. But months later, she started experiencing new symptoms and returned for another scan. The results were crushing – the cancer had begun growing again. She said: 'I felt like the rug had been pulled from under me all over again. 'I'd let myself believe it was finally going the right way, hearing it was growing again just broke me. 'It was like reliving the original diagnosis, but this time I knew what it meant – and that was the scariest part.' Despite the tumour being dangerously close to a major artery, surgeons agreed to operate. Keelie underwent brain surgery in February 2025 but suffered a stroke during the procedure, which left her unable to move the right side of her body or speak. Sadly, by the time her follow-up scan came around, the tumour had already grown back. Doctors have now told her the cancer is terminal and she has just 12 to 18 months to live. If the worst happens, Rupert will be cared for by Keelie's mum, Colleen, and stepdad, Steve. But his mum is doing everything she can to make memories with him now while trying to raise money for the treatment in Mexico. 5 5 5 Cancer recurrence CANCER recurrence is when cancer comes back after a period of remission, meaning it was undetectable or no longer causing symptoms. It can reappear in the same location as the original tumour (local recurrence) or in a different part of the body (distant recurrence). Recurrence happens because some cancer cells may survive treatment and remain dormant before multiplying again. Understanding cancer recurrence Local recurrence: The cancer returns in the same area where it was first diagnosed. Regional recurrence: The cancer comes back in the lymph nodes near the original tumour site. Why cancer might come back Undetectable cells: Some cancer cells might evade treatment and remain hidden in the body. Resistance to treatment: Cancer cells can become resistant to chemotherapy or radiation, allowing them to survive and grow. Spread before treatment: Cancer cells may have already spread to other parts of the body before the initial diagnosis and treatment, even if they weren't detected. Recognising recurrence Symptoms similar to initial cancer: Pain, lumps, changes in bowel or bladder habits, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, persistent cough, etc. New symptoms: Swollen lymph nodes, bone pain, shortness of breath, etc. Regular check-ups: Follow-up appointments with your doctor and scans help detect recurrence early.
