My mum Beryl was one of those people who always put others first. She believed a great deal in making sure supporting charities was a regular part of all of our lives. She also didn’t like any fuss being made of her, unlike the rest of us, so it amuses me to think what she’d make of everything now. When we found out in June 2007 that the lung condition mum had was terminal, we naturally turned to the British Lung Foundation to point us in the right direction to make sure her last few months were as comfortable as they could be. Thanks to their guidance, and the help of wonderful nurses and the Dorothy House hospice we had on standby, my mum was fortunately able to die at home, in her own bed, surrounded by her family at the end of August that year. Dad immediately set up the Breath of Life fund initially as a way for people to pay their respects rather than sending flowers for the funeral, but Dad also wanted something more permanent from it - a way to constantly remember mum’s life through a regular contribution twice a year; once on her birthday in May, and another for their wedding anniversary in December. I became keen to do something myself and decided that instead of simply giving money, I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone so that I really felt any money we raised for the fund would be truly deserved. It was nice to know that all this money would be in mum’s name, her nature living on through our efforts, and gave me something positive to focus on while dealing with her loss. Our family have always loved to travel and having had Peru on my wishlist for some time, my boyfriend Andy and I thought that would be a great place to start so we registered ourselves on the Open Challenges with Discover Adventure. I am by no means unfit, but laziness is a huge problem for me. I am the kind of person that whinges at having to walk a couple of blocks; how on earth did I think climbing mountains was going to be a good idea?! With a little trepidation, we started training on weekends. I presumed raising the money would also be an impossible task, and it took us a year of threatening various friends and family, but by the time we left for Peru in May 2009 we had raised almost £7000 and were amazed at everyone’s generosity. On arriving in Peru, we were buzzing; although this might have had something to do with a large packet of M&M’s and the effect of altitude. At this point I should point out that the irony of my British Lung Foundation t-shirt and the immediate breathlessness was not lost on me! After a couple of days of acclimatising and exploring beautiful Cuzco and its surrounds, we set off by coach to the start of our trek in the Lares Valley region. When the coach left, we were well and truly in a remote part of the world, and I felt completely liberated. No mobile phones, no tv, no junk food….what I had thought would be hell turned out to be one of the best places in the world for me! There were 12 of us in the group, with 3 guides and many porters who looked after the mules and set up camp every day at lunch then again for the evening camp. They were all local, and the most amazing people I’ve ever met, running ahead of us every day with the mules to provide a clean safe camp on our arrival and cook up better food than we get at home. Other than coming across the occasional local herding llamas and alpacas, the peacefulness of the surrounding mountains was utterly breathtaking. Upon climbing the first couple of hills, the views only continued to get more spectacular; soaring snow capped mountains, crystal clear lakes, tumbling waterfalls and herds of alpacas dotted all around. From mountain to valley the scenery would change, lush and green one minute to a lunar landscape of rocks the next, never once getting dull. There was also the occasional chinchilla that scampered across the rocks before disappearing down an unseen hole. Our guide Jose provided a constant fascinating commentary of local knowledge and history, making sure we enjoyed every aspect of the trip. Our nights were spent camped in local villages where we became the evening’s entertainment. The children were fascinated by our presence and their families brought out their handmade clothes and artefacts for us to buy, as well as the odd bottle of Cusquena beer. The traditional dress of the women in particular was beautiful and all handmade. On one morning, having been left behind to travel with the crew due to a bout of altitude sickness, I looked up to the surrounding mountains and saw tiny orange dots moving at great speed. I soon realised, as the first few dots got bigger, that these were children running down to school, some as young as 3 years old. It was 7am and we had camped the previous night on the village football pitch, so all these children eventually ended up around me wondering who I was. Their uniform of handmade ponchos and hats, still in place despite an average 2 hour trip from home up and down the mountain each day put my memories of my dishevelled school attire to shame! On the final night’s camp, we celebrated the end of the trek itself, having reached 4600m at the highest point, and settled down for a short night’s sleep in order to catch a train to Aguas Calientes and the Machu Picchu ruins. Even though we hadn’t trekked through the Sun Gate and into the site itself, the first glimpse of Machu Picchu did not disappoint. The moment was surprisingly emotional and although the trek was already a rewarding and amazing experience, this view could not in any way have been missed. I think for me it marked the end of something I had been working towards for over a year and the thought that I had done this for my mum overwhelmed me; I allowed myself to feel a little bit proud! I felt like I had truly achieved something special and rewarded myself with several mojitos in the hot springs that afternoon. I know my mum was with me on that trip, and I am now intent on making charity challengers a regular part of my life to continue to raise money for mum’s Breath of Life fund. The emotional rewards for me were well worth the trip alone, but the chance to raise money for our fund was the most important part. Hopefully we can keep on making a difference in other people’s lives, the same way that my mum did in all of ours.