Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for Ovarian Cancer

New Zealand will be represented on the Mount Kilimanjaro Climb for Ovarian Cancer.

Tracy Pepper will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September for Ovarian Cancer. The climb is organised through Ovarian Cancer Canada.

Ovarian cancer is the 4th major killer of women. It’s known as the silent killer because the symptoms are so vague. There are NO effective pre-screening tests to detect ovarian cancer. Once ovarian cancer advances to stage 3 and 4, 80% won’t make it past 5 years. One woman dies every 48 hours from Ovarian cancer.

Education is key to bring awareness worldwide. Women must listen to their bodies and know the symptoms.

As a ten year old Pepper was diagnosed with a rare form of advanced stage 3 ovarian cancer. She was not expected to survive.

Miss Pepper stated “I’m doing the climb because I believe in the cause. Kilimanjaro represents the massive mountain that every cancer patient must climb when diagnosed.

“My body was donated to science so that they could experiment different drug combinations to help save others who are diagnosed with this deadly disease.”

As well as doing the Mount Kilimanjaro Climb Pepper will be making a documentary about her life.

“Its important for me to share my story of what it is like growing up as a young woman who had ovarian cancer, and now how it has affected my life 30 years later”. Says Miss Pepper.

“No one talks about Ovarian Cancer. There aren't many 30 year survivors either”.

Immigrating to New Zealand from Canada in 2004 after following her childhood oncologist’s advice to live her life to the fullest. The long term effects started to show 20 years later.

She chose to live in paradise and now lives in Mount Maunganui where she runs a Well-Being Centre – “Magic Hands”, a Well-Being studio that promotes health from the inside out. She believes that you need to be fully present and connected to your body in order for it to work optimally. She feels the best way to do this is through massage, mindful movement, breath and focusing of the mind through meditation.

Not one to sit idly by, not only does Pepper run Magic Hands but she has devoted her life to helping others and has been a regular volunteer with CanTeen since 2005. She also volunteered in Canada with various cancer organisations for 15 years.

Miss Pepper will also be actively involved in Ovarian Cancer Day on May 8th helping to share how awareness is so important. 

Pepper says “Let's do with Ovarian Cancer what we've done with Breast Cancer!”

“I believe my life is a gift that must be used to help inspire others. Everyone deserves hope” says Pepper

Adding “Kilimanjaro is just the start of a new venture. I’d like to set up a charitable trust to be able to help those like myself who have been given the gift of life but don’t know where to start using it”.

Read more about her amazing story on her blog  and keep up to date with Pepper’s activities on her Facebook page