Two Irish sisters are preparing to climb Africa’s tallest mountain this Father’s Day in honour of their father who died from cancer 20 years ago.
Sarah and Jennifer O'Duffy are following in their father’s footsteps by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro – and are raising money in aid of oesophageal cancer.
Their father died from oesophageal cancer 20 years and the sisters have been planning a climb in his honour for several years.
Jennifer told Newstalk Breakfast this morning that preparing for the climb has brought memories flooding back.
“My dad, we lost him when I was seven and my younger sister Sarah was four to oesophageal cancer tragically,” she said.
“This whole experience, to be honest, has given us the opportunity to really sit down and relive a lot of memories with him and look through old photographs.
“In doing that we've just been discussing how amazing he truly was and even his achievement in climbing Kilimanjaro just proves that.”
Sisters Sarah and Jennifer O’Duffy with their father Conor. Image: SuppliedShe said they are taking the same route as their father did all those years ago.
"There are various options, but the one we're going for is actually the longest available option,” she said.
“So, six nights we’ll be on the mountain and it'll take around seven days in total.”
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She said the connection with her father makes the climb a poignant experience.
“It's a challenging climb, physically and emotionally, regardless of the situation – but there's definitely a duality and a double whammy here, so we have that added emotion.
“We actually have a picture of him that he has of himself on the summit and we have a printed-out version that we're going to take up with us, keep it on our person so he'll be with us the whole time.”
The sisters have already raised nearly €28,000 for the Oesophageal Cancer Fund and you can donate to the cause here.
You can follow the sisters as they prepare for their journey on Instagram at climbing4cancer.
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