Woman to hula hoop for charity
08 Feb 10
A woman from North London is getting ready to hula hoop on her way to Africa's tallest peak in support of her best friend who has been battling cancer for a decade.
Julianne McGregor, 27, plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in September, doing the hula at points on her way up and at the summit.
Her aim is to raise around £3,350 for the charity World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and help her US-based friend Megan Houchins, who has been fighting thyroid cancer since the age of 21.
Ms McGregor, who is Australian but now lives in Highbury, has been attending hula classes and training for the challenge.
She said: "I'm doing this for my close friend Megan, who is currently fighting cancer, and all other cancer sufferers out there.
"I enjoy hula hooping anyway but I thought that I would do it on Mount Kilimanjaro because it would put a smile on Megs' face. If not, the pictures of me dirty, sweaty but resolutely hula hooping surely will."
Ms Houchins, 31, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, has had seven major operations on her neck and chest to remove the tumours, but her cancer returned in December 2005. She is hoping to get married in May with her best friend as a bridesmaid.
Ms McGregor said: "Megs really inspires me with her overwhelming positivity in the face of trials and her fantastic sense of humour. So this is my way of returning the favour."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
https://www.wcrf-uk.org/fundraising/events/sponsor_a_participant.php (World Cancer Research Fund)
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