Woman, 50, with Incurable Breast Cancer Reaches Summit of Mount Everest: ‘I Want to Thrive’

Dr. Shaunna Burke has successfully climbed the tallest mountain in the world twice and raised raised $97,000 for charity

A woman with incurable cancer has climbed to the summit of Mount Everest to help “inspire others who are facing their own battles.”

Dr. Shaunna Burke, who grew up in Québec, Canada, but now lives in Addingham, England, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2024.

The exercise psychologist first conquered the tallest mountain in the world in 2005, and decided to tackle it a second time after her diagnosis, having undergone a double mastectomy, liver surgery and radiotherapy, according to the BBC.

She reached the summit of Mount Everest, more than 29,000 feet above sea level, on Saturday, May 23, and posted a video on her Instagram account on Tuesday, May 26, updating her followers on the successful journey.

“We reached the summit of Everest today,” Burke said. “I can’t believe 21 years later, second time standing on the summit of Everest, this time with stage 4 cancer. For anybody out there struggling with cancer, keep going, keep taking steps forward.”

The 50-year-old captioned the clip: “I am officially the first woman to summit Everest with stage IV cancer!🏔️. Apologies for the audio quality, it’s a little windy on top of the world 💨.”

Burke said she had been preparing for this moment for 12 months, but added that the hardest part of the challenge was facing the cold temperatures at night.

“It would be freezing cold, and when you’re in your tent and you’re not moving your body and you’re not getting the blood flowing through your body, it can be very, very, very, very cold,” she told the BBC.

She said on her GoFundMe page that by climbing Mount Everest, she wanted to inspire others “who are facing their own battles — showing that courage, purpose, and hope can exist even in the hardest moments.”

Burke has since raised more than $97,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, a U.K.-based charity.

“I first stood on top of Everest in 2005,” she wrote on the page. “Today, as a researcher in exercise and cancer, I study the very disease that is now threatening my own life. This expedition is more than a climb — it is a personal and scientific mission.”

She added: “I hope this climb will stand as a message to anyone who feels overwhelmed: you are stronger than you think.”

Macmillan Cancer Support commented on Burke’s impressive climb, praising her for the “extraordinary achievement.” The charity added on Instagram: “We are so incredibly proud of you.”

Symptoms of breast cancer include finding a lump near your breast or underarm, noticing a change in the size or shape of your breast or blood-stained or clear discharge from your nipple, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Other signs include a change in skin texture that may look puckered, scaly or inflamed, and may appear red, purple or darker in other areas of the breast. A marble-like hardened area under your skin is another symptom.

“I will be living with cancer for the rest of my life and it will have to be controlled,” Burke said in a video on her website. “I have no idea where it came from but it was this powerful feeling that just came over me of wanting to live. I don’t want to just survive, I want to thrive. So I am determined, with every fiber of my being, to make that happen.”

The researcher also ran the Everest Marathon and previously climbed Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Elbrus in Russia and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Burke told the BBC she wanted to take on these challenges as she was interested in the impact of exercise and low oxygen levels on her cancer markers.

She is due to fly back to England next week and told the outlet that she was looking forward to her “cozy, comfortable bed.”