THE wife of an Andover man who sadly died from a rare form of cancer has completed a climb of Kilimanjaro, raising over £7,000 for cancer charity.

Cheryl Morgan, 57, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, on Friday, February 2 with her close friend Lorna Warmington, 55, to raise money for Sarcoma UK.

The charity funds vital research and offers support to anyone affected by sarcoma cancer, and campaigns for better treatments against the cancer.

The pair reached the summit on Thursday, February 8 at 8am and 9am respectively, having to summit separately due to weather conditions.

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Andover Advertiser: Cheryl and Lorna at the summit

The epic climb has raised £7,049 for the charity in honour of Cheryl’s husband Martin, who died in March last year after developing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in bones or soft tissue.

Martin was first diagnosed with cancer in 1996 which was treated with surgery and chemotherapy, but it returned in 2011.

Martin and Cheryl enjoyed going on long walks together, walking the Camino de Santiago in 2016 which resulted in them travelling 750 miles in six weeks. 

Unfortunately, after returning from the trip, Martin developed another tumour, a sarcoma for which he received treatment at Southampton hospital, which Cheryl called 'exemplary'.

Martin sadly died on March 16, 2023, at the age of 68 after his battle with cancer and is missed every day by Cheryl, as well as his children, grandchildren, family, and friends.

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Andover Advertiser: Martin climbing in Lemnos, Greece

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Cheryl said: “Martin was my inspiration for climbing and life, and the money raised in his memory for Sarcoma UK is a comfort in knowing that it will help others.

“The money raised is in addition to a further sum of almost £3.000 raised by our niece, Karen Field, who ran the London marathon last April, shortly after Martin died, she deserves a special mention.

“I would also say thank you to a very special friend, Lorna, who offered to complete this challenge without hesitation.”

Cheryl says she climbed as a group of nine strangers who are now friends, and who were supported by an ‘amazing group of Tanzanians’.

She added: “We were in awe of what these men achieve every day on that mountain and could not have completed it without them.”

To support Cheryl and Lorna’s climb in memory of Martin, visit justgiving.com/page/cheryl-lorna-1693423514849.