It’s not just the preparation of exercise that one has to consider for Kilimanjaro, but also the immunisations. So you can imagine my joy when the doc looks up from his notes and says “Joe, good news. You have had the Yellow Fever immunisation before, and the classification has now changed from a ten year period of cover to a lifetime”. Whoop, get in there! ‘I hate needles’, I thought. “But we don’t hold your certificate number, and I doubt you held onto your certificate from 15yrs ago” That’s very assuming of you, Doc. But yes, he was right. “Your Typhoid is out of date too” could this get any worse, I thought?

“Well there’s a surprise”, the doctor said, “your mother never had you visit us for your Rubella immunisation as a child”. “Oh mother, how we will have words”, I began to mutter, at this rate I’ll look like a pin cushion.

So three jabs over a two week period later, and I’m left with a body that could survive a nuclear fallout, such are the number of immunisations I have listed on my file.

But on reflection, how lucky was I? I went to the doctor, who had my medical records from birth, who could highlight my parents failings (I’m only kidding mother😘) and ensure my body was immunised and ready to travel. Compare my scenario to that of those very children we are raising money for, where thousands die each year from the lack of basic medication which we have so readily available. Suddenly, in that moment, my selfish rantings gained a new perspective.