Waterlooville mum who survived breast cancer will join celebrity crew including Giovanna Fletcher, Emma Willis, and Gemma Atkinson in a 100km fundraising hike through Scottish Highlands for Coppafeel charity

In September, Sara Gohl, 39, will be part of a 100-strong team of people hiking through the Scottish Highlands for Coppafeel, a charity targeting young people to spread awareness about breast cancer and the importance of checking your breasts.

Sara was diagnosed with aggressive stage three breast cancer in 2017.

She said: ‘My cancer was at stage three where it had already spread, the doctors were unsure whether I would survive it or not’.

The Waterlooville mum had a full mastectomy on her left breast, and the removal of 21 lymph nodes from underneath her armpit.

She set out to find another charity to support after Haven, her local charity, closed last year due to Covid.

Sara said: ‘CoppaFeel is definitely a charity that has always stood out for me, I think that’s because of their focus on raising awareness within younger people and when you’re advertising for younger people, older people see it as well so it was definitely one that stood out for me.’

The Come Fly with Gi challenge will see Sara join celebrities such as Giovanna Fletcher, Emma Willis, and Gemma Atkinson in a bid to raise money and awareness.

Sara has been taking her training seriously, despite all she has been through.

She said: ‘About 18 months ago I went back to my local gym and signed up with my friend who is a personal trainer.

‘I had limited movement in my upper body because of my surgery, so he gently worked with me and I have got to a place in my fitness where I never thought I’d get back to.’’

Hoping to reach her goal of £2,500 before the trek starts, Sara has a page on the CoppaFeel website for people to donate money and track her journey as she trains.

Sara will be a part of team Gemma Atkinson, where from September 12-18 they will trek as a team and ‘sleep under the stars’ in their base camps.

She said: ‘I hit my five-year milestone this year which means the chances of breast cancer recurring drops by 50 per cent - so I call it my year mission remission!’’

‘Then I turn 40 in November so I thought why not do it this year.’

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Sara lives with her husband Richard, 51, and eight-year-old son Robin, who has raised £250 for his mum’s fundraiser.

Sara said: ‘My gorgeous boy suggested that he could cycle to school and ask his friends to sponsor him, so in the last four weeks of term we cycled every Thursday to school.’

As a cancer survivor, Sara wants to highlight the importance of raising awareness.

She added: ‘I think if I can raise awareness for breast cancer and it changes one person's life or if one person checks themselves and then is referred, then that is my motivator.’

Sara would like to say a massive thank you to her family, friends, and anyone who has donated to her fundraiser, as well as her consultant and breast surgeon Avi Agrawal, and Ben Coles, who has been helping her through the training process.

Visit coppafeel.enthuse.com/pf/sara-gohl or visit Sara’s instagram page at @sara.gohl.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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