It was the second time lucky for a granddaughter from West Bridgford who completed the National Three Peaks Challenge in under 24 hours in memory of her nana.
Jasmine, 27, had attempted the 24-hour feat back in early July but her plans were derailed when her bus broke down at a service station, leaving her stranded for over four and a half hours, and a lightning storm later prevented her from scaling Scafell Pike.
Undeterred and more determined than ever to raise funds for charity Myeloma UK, over the weekend Jasmine came back for round two and raced against the clock to hike Snowdon, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis – tackling a total ascent of 10,052ft and driving a whopping 462 miles between each peak.
She reached the finish line in a record 23hr 28min on Sunday – over half an hour ahead of schedule.
Myeloma UK is a charity close to Jasmine’s heart after her late nana, Katie Dobbing, was diagnosed with myeloma in her late 80s.
She lived with incurable blood cancer for over a decade before passing away in April 2022 at the age of 93.
While the cancer wasn’t the primary cause of her death, it did ultimately lead to the decline in her health and quality of life Jasmine explained.
The 27-year-old said: “Thankfully there were no issues this time round. There were a few showers but nothing that would prevent us from getting up the mountains.
“Our challenge started on Saturday morning at 8.28 am from the bottom of Ben Nevis and I crossed the finish line into the Pen Y Pass car park from the Miners Path coming down Snowdon on Sunday at 7.56 am with a total time of 23hr and 28min.
“Not only did I complete the challenge in the 24-hour timeframe, but I was the first in our group to finish! I’m really proud of myself for giving the challenge another go and for raising money for Myeloma UK as well.
“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s a mental challenge as much as it is physical. I’m looking forward to a week of well-earned rest and lots of food.”
Recalling her failed first attempt, she added:
“I’d managed to summit Ben Nevis and get back down to the bus in 4hr 37min, which is great timing.
“We were ahead of schedule and on track to complete the challenge in 24 hours. But, unfortunately, our bus broke down at a service station and we were left waiting for 4hr 30min.
“We eventually got a taxi to Scafell Pike and were told our replacement bus would be there in time to pick us up after our night hike.
“When we arrived, we were told we couldn’t go up the mountain because of a lightning storm, and some groups before had to evacuate because it wasn’t safe.
“I was gutted that our group was unable to complete all three peaks in the 24 hours. It was out of my control and I gave it my all.
“But knowing I could have done it wasn’t enough for me, not only was I doing this to raise money in memory of my nana, but it was a personal goal I’d set for myself to achieve this year.”
Jasmine has raised just shy of £1,500 for Myeloma UK so far, towards research into new treatment and, ultimately, a cure.
The painter and decorator added: “I lost my Nana in April 2022 and it made it one of the hardest years of my life.
“She was around a lot when I was little. She helped raise me and my cousin Georgie. She would pick us up from school and give us our dinner. We were very close.
“Spending time outdoors was one of the ways I coped with my grief.
“It helps me focus on the present moment, on the beautiful things around me, and how my body is feeling and moving. It helps me process my thoughts.
“My Nana was always on the go, so this seemed like a fitting challenge to honour her memory, especially with it finishing in Wales, where I spent a lot of my childhood with her. The challenge is also giving me a way to feel connected to her and to raise money for Myeloma UK.”
Myeloma occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects over 24,000 people in the UK.
Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, it is especially difficult to detect as symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions.
More than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through A&E. By that point, many of them are experiencing severe or life-threatening symptoms.
While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life.
Jasmine was 15 years old when Katie, a grandmother-of-ten, was diagnosed with myeloma.
“We had not heard of myeloma – it’s one of those lesser-known cancers,” she went on. “It was hard but my Nana was strong.
“The treatments she received were so helpful. Without them and all the research that’s been done into myeloma, she wouldn’t have lived to the age she did. That’s why I wanted to raise awareness and give something back.”
To support Jasmine go to https://www.justgiving.com/
For more information about myeloma or to get in touch with Myeloma UK go to www.myeloma.org.uk. Myeloma UK runs an Infoline on 0800 980 3332.
