A CANCER diagnosis and the loss of her teenage sister to the cruel disease spurred a Darlington charity boss on throughout a gruelling trek of the Himalayas recently.

Michelle Thompson’s little sister Jeanette died from an aggressive form of teenage bone cancer in 1995, when she was just 18.

In 2003, Ms Thompson’s life turned upside down again when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Upon getting the all clear, the Healthwatch Darlington chief executive began to embark upon tough charity challenges in a bid to raise as much as possible to support Macmillan Cancer Care and to pay tribute to the memory of her little sister.

She said the look in her family’s eyes when she was diagnosed with cancer made her “so determined to fight it and to prove to the thousands of people who hear the dreaded words ‘I’m afraid you’ve got cancer’ that you can get better and it can change your life in such a positive way.”

Ms Thompson added: “Since getting the all clear, I have pushed myself to the limit over the last 14 years taking on huge challenges to raise funds and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support.

“Each challenge was incredibly hard both physically and mentally especially without a thyroid but the sense of achievement was fantastic.”

Over the years, she has climbed mountains in Peru, ran the Great North Run nine times and cycled 500 miles across the mountainous regions of North Vietnam and 420 miles from Kenya to Tanzania.

Her most recent challenge saw her “pushed both mentally and physically” out of her comfort zone to trek the Himalayas.

She said: “This was all in memory of my little sister Jinny and for people who are living with or beyond cancer every day.

“The worst bits of the trip were the leeches in rain forests and the loos – a hole dug in the ground for all 31 of us was not ideal but that’s all part of the challenge.

“The best bit was the Nepalese people, they were so welcoming and their country is breathtakingly beautiful.

“We were a bunch of strangers laughing and crying together during the week but by the end of it we became firm friends and have all been affected by cancer in some way.”

Ms Thompson aims to raise £2,300 with her latest challenge, to represent £100 for each year that has passed since the loss of her sister.

She said: "Macmillan is hugely important to me and fundraising is hugely important to Macmillan. Without people doing events, running marathons, climbing mountains, and donating in all the other ways that you can, Macmillan wouldn’t exist."

To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/michellethompson