Friends and family, I will be part of a team of trekkers attempting to complete 40tude's Transylvanian 5 peaks challenge where we will summit five Transylvanian mountains Romania in three days. The 5 peaks range from 2181m to 2505m; Ben Nevis is 1345m for comparison.

I am not built for this. I carry a load of bulk that is useless for trekking. My legs are also very short. My tailored trousers could be board shorts for some of you. Once my trousers were stolen from theatres. The thief later returned them because there was no way it would fit them. So why on earth would I volunteer for this? I am raising money for 40tude, an amazing charity raising both public awareness about bowel cancer as well as fundraising for ground breaking research.

As a some of you may know, I have been a doctor since 2014 and am currently a General Surgery specialty training registrar. I am currently undertaking a PhD at St Mark's Hospital, the National Bowel Hospital delivering ground-breaking treatment and research. I want to specialise in bowel surgery; managing bowel cancer in particular. 40tude is currently funding a multitude of crucial research at St Mark's Hospital and beyond, aimed at both early bowel cancer detection and improving treatment. Any donations will be directed very carefully by 40tude to raise awareness and to further support this vital research that is already making a difference to curing bowel cancer.

1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women are at risk of developing this type of cancer and if you're a non-smoker in the UK, colon cancer is the most likely cancer to kill you. However it is one of the easiest cancers to treat, if it is detected early. The really good news is that colon cancer is also preventable, through regular screening. If you have a test to look for colon cancer and its precursor polyps are detected, these can be easily removed, significantly reducing the risk of developing this type of cancer. Find out more on 40tude's website a: www.40tude.org.uk

Your donation will make a real difference in helping to cure colon cancer. Donating is easy, quick and secure.

Please share this with your friends and family also. Together we can cure colon cancer.

Thank you.

Dinh Mai