Druck’s Helene Doggett climbs Everest Base Camp raising more than £2.5k for Breast Cancer Awareness

Last month Helene Doggett, Druck’s Occupational Health Advisor took on the challenge of a lifetime and climbed Mount Everest Base Camp.  

We caught up with Helene to find out more about how things went and the highs and lows of her journey - 

“Firstly, a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the Prevent Breast Cancer charity following my trip to Everest Base Camp.  We have raised more than £2.5k in total – and there’s still time to donate – just click here if you want to make a contribution.

“I've been home for a few weeks now... the first week back was a bit of a blur, as I was so exhausted!  Thankfully I’m thinking clearly now and fully recovered!

“I can honestly say it was an amazing two weeks.  I went through every possible emotion.  We had some really good laughs, there were tears and even some tantrums along the way!   

“We saw four seasons in two weeks, with clear skies, snow, sleet, rain, sunshine, frost and white outs. On the lower levels of the trek the mountains kept us company during the long walking days but as we climbed higher, the weather definitely became more challenging - we had to adopt a slower pace to cope with the altitude, snow and colder temperatures.   

“I loved the walking – helped by the endless hours of training that I invested in advance.  Being in good physical shape helped me cope with the walking and enabled me to enjoy it.  My physical fitness and having the right kit also allowed me to cope better with the tough times.  

“I can honestly say it was the most challenging, toughest thing I’ve ever done both physically and mentally.  Altitude sadly was not my friend and the medication to combat this had pretty awful side effects (and in hindsight I started it probably a bit later than I should have!)

To learn about her training leading up to the trek, click here.  

Keep reading to learn about her highs and lows

The best bits: Feeling totally immersed in the Nepalese culture- the people are amazing.  Plus the beautiful scenery and the feeling of tranquility whilst walking for miles - I totally loved it. 

Scary bit: Yaks coming straight at you- you literally have to jump out of their way!  But they did look cute.
The most frightening bit: finding it difficult to breathe at night.  Our oxygen saturation levels did get really low the higher we got - it was even hard work putting our boots on in the morning!

The most frustrating bit: waking up every hour to wee (part of altitude sickness- who knew?!)  I was getting about 2-4 hrs sleep a night.

The worst bit: Yak poo burning smoke (I never want to smell that ever again) and the toilets. The higher we got, the worse the experience became!

The most rewarding bit: reaching Everest Base Camp - we did it!

“Thank you again to everyone that donated.  My mum, who sadly passed away with breast cancer, would have been so proud.”

If you'd like to make a donation there's still time - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Helene-Doggett