Cancer patient to defy fear of heights for abseil
- Published
Claire Stork said she wanted "to do something to make people say 'you're brave' and mean it"
A cancer patient with a fear of heights will abseil 160ft (49m) down St Thomas' Hospital dressed as Where's Wally to "pay back" the people caring for her.
Claire Stork, from Woolwich in south-east London, is to undertake the annual St Thomas' Hospital abseil, external with two friends.
She has a rare and highly aggressive form of thyroid gland cancer, called anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.
She is currently undergoing treatment at Guy's Hospital in Southwark.
After noticing a lump in her neck, in December she underwent a six-hour operation during which a 12cm (5in) tumour was removed.
Ms Stork and her friends Della Pearson and Levi Bowditch will donate any sponsorship money to Guy's Cancer Charity.
The central London hospital hosts a charity abseil challenge each year
The 42-year-old said she was inspired to take on the feat after she saw a poster for the abseil at Guy's Hospital.
"Everyone keeps saying 'you're so brave doing this'. I'm not brave, I have no choice but to live with [cancer] and I can't change it - so why should I be stressed?
"I'm scared of heights and I thought, I want to do something to make people say 'you're brave' and mean it.
"Plus, Guy's Hospital has really helped me out with cancer, from having someone I can always talk to, getting a wig for my head, and everyone is so kind.
"I want to pay them back for everything that they do."
The abseil is due to get under way at 17:00 BST on Friday.
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