TWO women who struck up a strong bond after both being diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 36 have taken on an epic challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Emma Campbell, now 37, from Newcastle, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2020. To celebrate her remission of the disease, she is leading a team of people affected by bowel cancer to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2022 to raise £10,000 for Bowel Cancer UK.

Emma will be joined on the trip of a lifetime by her friend Rebecca Clark, who she bonded with online after her bowel cancer diagnosis.

Emma said: “When I was diagnosed I was trying to find other young people like me with bowel cancer. I came across Rebecca’s Instagram page – she was 36 too, diagnosed in January 2020 and had two children. I couldn’t believe we were so similar.

“I messaged her, and we instantly clicked. We’ve been firm friends ever since and talk all the time. We laugh at how much we have in common.

“Since both receiving the all clear, we decided to really do something amazing, and are going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2022. We are hoping to raise £10,000, which would cover the cost of the trek and donations to the charity. So far at least two of our friends are joining us too and they’ll fundraise separately, so will raise even more money for the charity. This is now our focus and doing it together is the best thing about it. When we reach the summit we will be thinking of the entire bowel cancer community and hopefully inspiring those warriors who are still fighting to never give up.”

Emma started experiencing symptoms of bowel cancer whilst she was pregnant with her third child, and was diagnosed shortly after her daughter was born. She says: “In early 2019 when I was pregnant with my third child, I had severe pain my abdominal area; I knew it wasn’t labour as I was only five months pregnant but it was so severe that I was worried, and so I phoned 111. I was told I had pregnancy related constipation, which is very common, and gave me laxatives.”

Emma then went to see her GP and after a few blood tests was referred for a colonoscopy – a test that can diagnose bowel cancer, the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. Emma says: “It was early February 2020 by the time I had the colonoscopy. Afterwards, they explained they had found something. It was only when the nurse explicitly said that when the doctor says lesion, they mean potentially cancer, that I knew what they had found. I was so shocked, I just remember feeling completely numb."

Emma has since had surgery and chemotherapy, and is making a good recovery.

Luke Squires, Director of Fundraising at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled Emma and her team are taking on a challenge of a lifetime for the charity by trekking the infamous Mount Kilimanjaro. It’s only by people like Emma supporting the charity we can continue to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer.”

Find out more about Emma’s challenge: justgiving.com/fundraising/becksandemclimbkili.

Bowel is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with over 42,000 people diagnosed every year. Although it’s more common in older people, more than 2,500 people under 50 are diagnosed with the disease every year.