MICHAEL King has hit the heights for St Luke’s after reaching the summit of Britain’s loftiest peak.
Michael and a team of nine friends raised £1,135 for our patient care after reaching the summit of Ben Nevis in Scotland.
And that sum means 56-year-old Michael, who lives in Grenoside, has now given more than £6,000 to St Luke’s, where wife Michelle was a patient before her death in 2019.
Psychiatric nurse Michelle was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 but having survived that initial illness, she was later found to have developed a brain tumour.
“In the end she went into St Luke’s and all I can say is that the support we received from everybody there was incredible,” said Michael.
It might sound a strange thing to say but Michelle loved it at St Luke’s, she thought it was fantastic.
“She was there for three weeks and then she took a turn for the worse and she died in October 2019 but the care everybody gave her was really outstanding.”
Michael decided he wanted to raise money for St Luke’s, first with a funeral collection, then by taking part in Sheffield’s famous Percy Pud race and then completing a run of his own during lockdown.
Now, with the support of his walking friends, he has conquered Ben Nevis and brought his fundraising total to more than £6,000.
“The Highlands of Scotland and Ben Nevis were the last places we had a holiday before Michelle was diagnosed with cancer and that is why our walk had such a special significance,” Michael said.
“The weather was fine when we set off but by the time we were near the top it was very windy and very wet and you couldn’t see because of the mist.
“But we did it and I know that Michelle would be happy that we have raised so much money for the charity that supported her.”
There’s still time to give to the climbers - just visit Michelle