High hopes of helping charity
A Bannockburn man is preparing to climb Africa’s highest mountain in support of a tuberculosis charity.
Jonny Lavin is aiming to get to the top of Kilimanjaro in 2020 - the year of his 50th birthday.
The civil servant plays a variety of sports but has never contemplated climbing before.
“I am presently involved with distance/speed walking,”said Jonny,“as well as cycling in preparation for the event and I’m beginning to actively fundraise for the challenge.
“I have previously raised funds for Arthritis Research by skydiving some years ago. I have always been an active and outgoing person willing to take on a challenge for a worthwhile cause within the community and I view this challenge as the hardest yet both mentally and physically.
“However I am looking forward to taking on the mountain with a positive attitude and a steely resolve to succeed.”
Jonny is hoping to raise as much money as possible for the charity TB Alert, whose work in treatment and raising awareness he believes has a genuine impact to lives both in the UK and abroad in tackling the infectious and debilitating disease.
“I have no experience and I’m not the fittest so this will be a huge challenge for me,”said Jonny.“In the words of the late great JFK -‘we choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard’. The lack of oxygen and the dangers posed whilst ascending will remind and inspire me with every step of how people suffering this disease feel every day of their lives.
“TB, Consumption, The White Death - these are all names given to the disease which affects over 10 million people each year, killing approximately two million. Although now in the modern world this is a completely curable disease, it remains a globally infectious pathogen which is quickly becoming multi-drug resistant even in developed European nations. It is most common with those living in poverty with poor immune systems and those with no access to care: the poor and the disadvantaged. TB does not respect or confine itself to age, class, position or wealth.
“In the seven days I will spend on Mount Kilimanjaro, 26,500 people will of die of TB. This puts into context the scale of the issue TB Alert are trying to solve. A donation of £25 will provide full treatment for a patient, however anything people can give will help save lives and their donations are very much appreciated.”
To sponsor Jonny go to: https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ jonnylavin.