Jim Smith, well known in the stone industry for the many years he has worked with the Waters Group, which supplies machinery, tools and consumables to stone companies, has blood cancer. But he is not letting that stop him attempting the Six Peaks Challenge.

Jim is the husband of Nicola Waters, who was Managing Director of the Waters Group when Jim was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma two years ago.

Jim says: “In February this year I was told I had anything from two weeks to a few months to live. Six months on, I am going for it with my Six Peaks Challenge – and your support would be greatly appreciated.”

As well as giving himself the personal challenge of climbing the six peaks, Jim will also be raising money in support of other cancer patients through two McMillan Cancer Support charities and a blood cancer charity. If you would like to make a donation, go to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/6peakschallenge2017.

Jim, with the support of Nicola and friends, will set out to climb the six peaks on 24 September. The challenge should be completed by 1 October.

Jim says coping with the knowledge he has cancer and the treatments he has received for it have been the biggest and hardest challenges of his life.

“I have endured and embraced two full protocols of intensive chemotherapy, stem cell conditioning chemotherapy and then a full stem cell transplant. In February I relapsed for a third time and I was told I potentially only had a few weeks to live.

“In the eyes of the medical world this disease is no longer curable and my time is limited. Numbness, anger, bitterness, injustice, disbelief do not quite explain how you feel when hearing this and staring your own mortality directly in the face!

“However, through my positivity and focus, the help and support of my wife and others close to me, and the setting of many individual goals, I am still here.

“I have a desire to live and am determined to embrace every day to the full. I wish to encourage anyone undergoing hardship to do the same. This is why I chose to set up the Six Peaks Challenge.”

The six peaks are Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, Slieve Donard (Northern Ireland), Mount Snowdon, Pen-y-Fan, finishing with Cornwall’s highest peak, Brown Willy. Jim is taking the Challenge with five other walkers and a ‘housekeeper’ to keep them fed and watered.

He says he wants the Challenge to motivate and inspire others. “I haven’t given up. My choice is to keep living, keep fighting and keep my eyes up and forward.”

Follow Jim’s progress on www.facebook.com/6peakschallenge.