Canadian Researcher With Stage Four Cancer Reaches Everest Summit
Dr Shaunna Burke reached the summit at 3 a.m. on May 23 while managing terminal breast cancer and chemotherapy, raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
GB NewsM. on May 23, becoming the first woman living with stage four incurable cancer to reach the peak. The exercise psychologist at the University of Leeds managed the effects of terminal breast cancer and chemotherapy during the climb.
Dr Burke reached the summit with Sherpas Lopsang and Khangdo after progressing through Camps two and three while awaiting favourable weather. The expedition began on April 16 with an ascent of Mera Peak, a 6,400-metre summit where research testing took place. On April 30, Dr Burke departed for Everest Base Camp at 5,364 metres.
Friends joined her there for a traditional Hindu Puja ceremony. Dr Burke previously reached the summit in 2005 as the second Canadian woman to do so. She prepared for the climb by training in the altitude chamber at Leeds Beckett University's Carnegie School of Sport, walking on a treadmill with a weighted rucksack to simulate conditions above 4,000 metres.
Dr Barney Wainwright, an applied sports scientist at Leeds Beckett University, monitored her training sessions and collected data on her body's response to reduced oxygen levels. Dr Patrycja Jonetzko, an anaesthetist specialising in high-altitude medicine, and documentary filmmaker Ben Ayers from Rainshadow Films supported the initial phase on Mera Peak.
Following her 2024 diagnosis, Dr Burke created her own nutrition and exercise programme and ran to chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions.
Dr Burke completed the Everest Marathon in 2024 before undertaking the summit attempt. She works within the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds and has spent her career studying the role of physical activity in cancer treatment. The expedition has raised more than £30,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, with Dr Burke targeting a total of £50,000.
Fiona Gavaghan, relationship fundraising manager for Macmillan Cancer Support, said Dr Burke is an inspiration for the feat and for using her condition to advance research into exercise and cancer treatment. Dr Burke dedicated the climb to everyone touched by cancer.
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