Arlesey mum in trek of a lifetime around Mount Blanc after cancer recovery

An Arlesey woman is taking on the trek of a lifetime to fundraise for a charity close to her heart.

Michelle Moore was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in April 2021 after finding a lump in her right breast.

She said: “I had no family history of breast cancer and was under 40 at the time, so a cancer diagnosis was very unexpected, but it was down to CoppaFeel!’s breast awareness campaigns that I was able to recognise the signs and get diagnosed fast.

"I underwent a year of treatment including six months of chemotherapy to attack the cancer cells, and as I had found my lump early, these treatments successfully shrank my lump so that surgery and radiotherapy could remove what was left.”

The mother of one is now tackling a five day trek with CoppaTrek! Tour Du Mont Blanc to raise funds and awareness of the disease. Husband James and daughter Elizabeth, aged eight, have been supporting her all the way.

Michelle and 100 other trekkers, chosen from across the UK, will be led by celebrity team leaders including Candice Brown (2016 Great British Bake-Off winner), Pete Wicks (The Only Way is Essex) and Kelsey Parker (Life after Tom) - with Giovanna Fletcher (I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here winner 2020) leading everyone. They set off on September 11.

Michelle’s team will be led by the best-selling author and Heart FM presenter Anna Whitehouse – otherwise known as Mother Pukka. The teams will be walking eight hours a day for five days, hiking the mountainous terrain through the world-famous Chamonix valley under the shadows of Mont Blanc,

Said Michelle: “I applied for this year’s CoppaTrek! as I know how important being breast aware is for everyone - no matter your age, genetics or gender. If diagnosed early, breast cancer can be very treatable. When diagnosed at stage 1, almost all (98%) of people with breast cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, compared with only around 1 in 4 (26%) people when the disease is diagnosed at stage 4.

“My fitness levels are still a long way off what they were before treatment, so this challenge is going to be tough, but being selected for this year’s trek is amazing, and anything your readers can donate towards helping me meet my fundraising target and supporting CoppaFeel’s lifesaving mission will be amazing too.”

Donations towards Michelle’s target can be submitted via her JustGiving page.

With donations and a fundraising prize draw with very generous donations from local residents and businesses, Michelle has already surpassed her £2,750 appeal total and is now aiming to raise much more.

The charity Coppafeel aims to encourage young people to be more aware of possible changes in their body and take action if they feel something isn’t right.

The charity says: “ From festivals to shower cubicles, university campuses to Instagram, we will be there to talk boobs and affect real behaviour change.”