Newbury woman to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for mother lost to lung cancer

A Newbury woman is going to take on Africa’s largest mountain in memory of her mother.

Martyna Jóźwiakowska, 44, has taken on many mountains and races but is pushing herself to new heights.

She is planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in June.

She will be raising money for Cancer Research UK after losing her mother Barbara Nitka to lung cancer in November 2022.

Barbara – a military nurse for 43 years - died just three months after her late diagnosis, at the age of 67.

“My mother was an amazing woman” Mrs Jóźwiakowska said.

“She lived in Poland and after graduating school as a nurse she went to her first and last place of work.

“She was only retired for a few years.

“She was always on her bike or in her allotment growing strawberries and other stuff and making preserves, she was always sending as much as she could over.

“She was a very keen crocheter, I have some of her work as well.

“She was an amazing cook and a great baker and, in her memory, I have done bake off for Cancer Research with some of her bakes to introduce Polish cakes to the English community.

“She was an amazing woman with a great sense of humour, you could joke with her and fool around with her.”

Mrs Jóźwiakowska keeps her mother’s ashes with her and is planning to show her Africa from above when she takes on her hiking challenge.

The Newbury mother-of-one has participated in the Race for Life a few times and says she absolutely adores hiking.

She climbed Mount Snowdon in Wales last year.

And more recently took on Ben Nevis in Scotland with the plan to complete her three peak challenge at Scaffell Pike in May.

But now she is pushing herself to new heights and showing her mother other parts of the world.

She trains three times a day – going to the gym with her husband – and hikes as much as she can.

Mrs Jóźwiakowska will be away from home for two weeks and say – though they’ll have to “be without Mum”, her husband and 15-year-old son have been very supportive.

In addition to raising money for cancer, she is hoping to raise awareness for perimenopause following her own diagnosis.

“I thought I was just experiencing grief and the challenge of living without my Mum,” she said.

“But I spotted that this was not the case.

“I have been diagnosed with onset menopause.

“I want to try to promote and get women tested.

“And I want to challenge myself to keep healthy with the declining level of hormones.”

To donate to Mrs Jozwiakowska’s fundraiser, click here https://shorturl.at/dqEKM

She has already raised more than £4,000.

She will be taking on her challenge on June 16.