Kilimanjaro challenge by NHS staff to honour 'wonderful human being'

TWELVE NHS staff are just days away from scaling Africa's highest peak to honour a much-loved colleague who died before fulfilling his dream of conquering Kilimanjaro.

- By OWEN HUGHES

Former Glan Clwyd Hospital consultant anaesthetist Dr Stephan Hugo, described as a 'wonderful human being' by those who worked with him, passed away, aged 60, last year following a battle with lung disease.

The South Africa-born medic, who moved to North Wales in 1989 and lived near St Asaph, had long planned to tackle the mountain with his daughter, Marni, 19. Tragically, he passed away before the challenge could take place.

Now, a team of doctors, nurses and operating practitioners who trained and worked alongside Stephan at the hospital in Bodelwyddan, will make the journey in his memory and raise thousands of pounds for the hospital's Intensive Care Unit Garden Project.

Standing at a towering 5,895 metres, Mount Kilimanjaro is not only the tallest mountain in Africa but also the world's highest freestanding peak, dominating the skyline of northern Tanzania near the border with Kenya.

A steep challenge lies ahead for the fundraisers. Battling thin air, freezing nighttime temperatures and punishingly difficult trails, the group face a test of both body and spirit. Many climbers experience altitude sickness before they even approach the summit, and the final push to the top is often attempted in darkness, with head torches lighting the path to Uhuru Peak.