An intrepid Co Derry woman is to take on Mount Kilimanjaro later this month despite living with Type 1 diabetes.
Julianna Ayton, from the Eglinton area, will scale Africa’s highest peak from February 21.
Julianna, 29, has signed up to scale Kilimanjaro with her partner Matthew Norrby after more than a decade of planning to but putting it off.
They hope to raise £5,000 for Ray of Sunshine, a UK children's charity that was formed in 2003 to "brighten the lives of children who are living with serious or life-limiting illnesses" between the ages of 3-18.
The couple are also aiming to raise funds for local man Leslie Smyth, who Belfast Live spoke with last year about his battle with cancer.
Julianna told MyDerry that the motivation to climb Kilimanjaro initially came after someone told her she would never do it several years ago.
She said: "I lost my little cousin a few years back and he used Make-A-Wish Foundation and they were really, really good with him before he passed away.
"But when we researched Ray of Sunshine we realised that they don't get as much support as other charities and they tend to help families a lot more than the bigger charities after their child has passed.
"The Make-A-Wish Foundation was brilliant in the there and then, but because they're so big they tend to move on and Ray of Sunshine are a bit better at not doing that.
"We've spoken to families who have used Ray of Sunshine after they had lost a child and it's something that has become very important to me."
"But the initial motivation came after I was watched Comic Relief years ago when they climbed Kilimanjaro and that gave me the inspiration to do, and because someone told me not long after that, that I would never do it, that's when I really got inspired.
"I was living a really unhealthy lifestyle at the time and I decided that I wanted to get fit, healthy and climb this mountain once and for all. My partner is going to do it with me now, otherwise, I would've been doing it myself. He's been a great support so far.
"This isn't the usual run of the mill challenge, and it's extremely demanding, but that's what makes me want to do it even more.
"People say to me that this is out of my comfort zone, and it is, but this will hopefully do something really good to raise money for a brilliant charity."
Julianna, who also suffers from type 1 diabetes, said she was "so determined" that the condition would "never hold her back" when she was first diagnosed as a child.
She added: "I've only spoken with one or two other people who are diabetic and they said it's a massive thing for a type 1 diabetic to do, so it's a huge challenge for me personally.
"We will be climbing the mountain during Africa's summer, so will be walking in a rainforest when it's around 35C and at the top, it will be around -15C.
"Throughout the whole process, it's going to be really important that I can keep my insulin at the right temperature so that I can use it.
"Also, if my blood sugars get too high I find it really difficult to walk and it will be about trying to keep everything level and just right so I can keep going.
"I've had to do all of the research and contact other people who have done it before to see how it affected them.
"And when I get to the top, hopefully, it will put it out there that people who do suffer from diabetes, especially type 1, can do it if they set their mind to it.
"I am very much the type of person that won't let anything hold them back and I never will let diabetes stop me.
"I would do quite a lot of work within the diabetes community and I've heard from people that say that they won't leave their homes because of diabetes diagnosis and to me that's crazy.
"I am trying to live life to the fullest because you never know what is around the corner and hopefully we can raise money for as many good causes along the way."
If you would like to donate to Julianna's fundraiser, you can do so HERE.
