Terminally ill man believed to be the first cancer patient to climb Mount Everest

Ian Toothill has just months to live.

Ian Toothill, given just months to live after a recurrence of colon cancer, summitted Mount Everest on Tuesday. He is believed to be the first cancer patient to reach the mountain’s peak. 

Toothill, a 47-year-old personal trainer, was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2015 and went into remission less than a year later. When the cancer returned, he was told it was terminal. Toothill then set out to climb Everest while raising money for charity. Thus far he has raised a little more than £​5,500 of his £220,000 goal. 

One of Toothill’s friends, a supporter of English soccer club Sheffield United, donated £1,000, after Toothill, a fan of Sheffield Wednesday, agreed to plant the rival club’s flag at the summit. 

• Man arrested for climbing Mount Everest without permit was found hiding in cave

Nothing to see here, just some cancer dude @swfc fan on the summit of Everest with an @SUFC_tweets flag #Sheffield https://t.co/yfIVg4G2Sh pic.twitter.com/wXMRWcTpTt

— Ian Toothill (Toots) (@IanToothill) June 5, 2017

On his fundraising page, Toothill said he had dreamed of climbing Mount Everest since he was a child.

“I'm determined to prove anything is possible, no matter what your situation,” he wrote.