Clitheroe dad who has twice survived Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia to scale Mount Kilimanjaro for sky-high charity challenge

Lee Penrose, who was diagnosed with a slow-growing blood cancer at age 31, will scale the 6,000m peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on Saturday, February 3rd, with his oldest schoolfriend Shaun Lister.

The now 45-years-olds, who grew up together in Burnley, aim to fundraise at least £2,000 for The Christie Charity as a thank you to the hospital where Lee has received treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, and to mark World Cancer Day on Sunday, February 4th. The pair smashed their original £1,000 target within six hours of setting up a Just Giving page and have since doubled it.

“It’s going to be hard, but worth it and will feel extra special knowing that we have raised some well-deserved money for The Christie Charity.

“I would like to mention that Dr [Adrian] Bloor has been the foundation of our care at the hospital. His reassuring manner combined with a super intelligent yet caring approach to my treatment has always made us feel like we are in the best hands possible. Having interacted with the hospital for over 12 years now, I can honestly say that the dedicated, caring and sometimes fun teams across all departments work miracles on a daily basis.

"Each day, I feel grateful for the years I’ve had watching my daughters Mary and Abi - who are now 18 and 17 - grow to young adulthood as they now head off on their adventures travelling around the world and to university.”

Lee received his diagnosis in 2011, at an especially young age for this disease. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is a rare type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, usually developing very slowly and rare in people under 40.

Following the heart-breaking news, the dad was admitted to The Christie Hospital in Manchester where he had 12 months of intense chemotherapy. Once he had recovered from treatment, he and his wife, Steph, decided to embark on a fundraising event for The Christie Charity by canoeing the 60 miles length of the Caledonian Canal in 2013.

But Lee was dealt another devastating blow when the cancer returned more aggressively in late 2021.

“Once again, the magnificent team at The Christie swung into action and I stayed on Palatine Ward (best in the world!) for three months in an isolation room due to my poor immune system and prevalence of COVID at the time. This meant I was unable to see my wife and daughters much and the only way was for them to stand in the car park and wave through the window!

“My most recent bout of treatment is now coming to an end, and I am back fighting fit for the moment so I wish to do something to repay everything that The Christie has given us.”

To make a donation to his latest fundraiser, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/ltdk-kili and for more information about the disease, head to https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-lymphocytic-leukaemia/