KOTA KINABALU: A group of 20 volunteers is expected to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu on Aug 31 for a good cause.
The climb, dubbed as Klimb Kinabalu Fight Against Cancer, is organised by the National Cancer Council Malaysia (Makna).
One of the climbers is Dr Timothy Cheng Tsin Jien, 29, who signed up after learning about the event from a friend.
“There is something magical about Mount Kinabalu, especially when one looks down from the summit and just stand in awe at God’s creation.
“This climb, which is the third for me, is for a good cause relating to medicine,” he said, adding that each participant had to pay RM1,800 as registration fee and raise at least RM2,000 for Makna.
Dr Cheng said to date, he managed to raise around RM8,000 from several donors.
A Makna spokesman said the annual expedition had been held since 2012 to raise awareness on cancer by encouraging people to live an active lifestyle.
She said this year, the expedition would be joined by two cancer survivors, three participants from China, Indonesia and Thailand, respectively, four AirAsia staff and the rest mostly from Peninsular Malaysia.
AirAsia sponsored the flight tickets for all climbers.
Makna is targeting to raise RM150,000 from the climb, which would be used to assist cancer patients. On average, the council registered an average of 5,000 patients every year.
Donations can be made at https://www.simplygiving.com/event/KlimbKinabalu2017 or by visiting Makna offices.