A KINGSWOOD mum is preparing for a 100km trek across the Sahara – even though she’s scared of sand!
Tattooist and illustrator Emily Daly, 33, is raising money for the youth-focused cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel!
She will take part in the trek in November with her cousin Isabella Thomas, from Devon. It will mark the second anniversary of her diagnosis of breast and lymph cancer.
Emily underwent six months of chemotherapy. During her treatment she learned that she had a mutation in a gene known as BRCA1, which made her susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer.
As a result she decided to have a double mastectomy and her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed, to give her the best chance of surviving.
Emily, who lives in Kingswood with her husband and six-year-old son, has also undergone radiotherapy and needs calcium infusions to strengthen her bones, as the gene mutation means she can’t have hormone replacement therapy.
She said: “I’ll be in an unforgiving environment that’s as tough as it gets, but I’ve made it through tougher!
“I’m awful in the heat, kinda terrified of sand (yes really) and after everything my body has been through, this will push me to my limits.
“I’m doing it for my two year ‘cancerversary’ to prove to myself that I can, and to help CoppaFeel! continue their vital work in raising awareness of early breast cancer detection for other ladies like me.”
Emily has already raised more than £3,000 for CoppaFeel! through a charity dog show, quizzes and other events. Her fundraising page can be found at tinyurl.com/ypmd6f4h.