A primary school teacher who was diagnosed with cancer has climbed to Everest base camp – despite being in the middle of her treatment.
Lynn Joseph found out she had breast cancer a month before she was due to fly to Nepal for the trek in August last year.
The mum-of-two had surgery to remove the tumour and then delayed the start of her radiotherapy until she returned home so she could complete the climb.
“I didn’t want cancer to stop me achieving my dream,” she said.
“Even with cancer you are the same person. Keep living your life and never give up on your dreams and ambitions.”
After having no symptoms Lynn said she was shocked to discover she had invasive breast cancer after attending her first mammogram at the age of 52.
“I couldn’t feel a lump and neither could the surgeon. It was only picked up during the scan and then with a biopsy. I can’t highlight enough how important it is to go for screening,” she added.
“I was lying on the table and I wanted to ask something. The doctor thought I was going to ask ‘Am I going to die?’ but I asked: ‘Can I still go to Everest base camp?'”
Lynn had been preparing for the trip for a year and was so relieved when she was told it was safe for her to go.
After undergoing the operation to remove the tumour Lynn embarked on the 4,469-mile trip to southern Asia.
She said she felt confident with her physical health and thanked her husband Mark for his support.
She said: “My husband was extremely supportive. He is always a glass half-full kind of person so helped me be positive throughout it all.
“I’m more of a flow chart person – I can go in any direction.”
Climbing to the most iconic base camp at the foot of the highest mountain in the world was an emotional experience for Lynn.
“I kept thinking ‘I’m going to take each step, one at a time’,” she said.
“I knew I was going to be fit enough but it was the emotional side of it that was the hardest.
“The altitude as well was tough – I didn’t know how I was going to cope with it.
“On the last day we were walking at over 5,000 metres with 50% less oxygen and I was doing very slow steps.
“It was a struggle. Every single step I took I was thinking of all the men and women who have been diagnosed with cancer.
“When I reached base camp I had to be on my own for a bit to take it all in. It was very emotional and I cried with happiness.”
Lynn then returned home and started 15 sessions of radiotherapy. Now cancer-free, the Gower resident has a new perspective on life.
“I think more of my family now,” she said. “They are the most important thing and I’m determined not to put any plans on hold and to just go for it.”
Lynn has been chosen to start Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Swansea on Sunday, May 12, with her husband Mark, and her two sons Owain and Rhys.
Mark, a programme manager at the Prince’s Trust, added: “I’m so grateful for the treatment that helped save Lynn’s life and I’m so proud to join the Race for Life alongside her.
“Together we can help beat this devastating disease and I want to encourage as many people as possible to join the fight and sign up to the Race for Life.”
To enter Race for Life visit raceforelife.org or call 0300 123 0770.
