Climbing 50 mountain peaks seems like a walk in the park when you compare it with getting young women to book a mammogram.

The hundreds of dollars needed for a mammogram, combined with the cost of living, is prohibitive –unless you’re in your 50s and eligible for a free scan from BreastScreen ACT.

That number 50 resonated with Conder woman Belinda Lee, who at the age of just 34 found a lump, had a mammogram and was shocked to get a bill for $580.

“It gave me more awareness on how hard it is for young women to get diagnosed because mammograms aren’t covered until you’re 40 or 50. It actually shocked me when I got the bill. It opened up to me how expensive it was so it’s probably not on women’s priority list.”

Following a mammogram, Belinda also had an ultrasound due to the fact that younger women’s breasts are quite dense.

“That first initial expense for women to actually get diagnosed is the issue,” Belinda says. “There is a lot of promotion for free mammograms when you hit 40 but a lot of younger women are naïve, they say ‘it won’t happen to me’, but one in seven women will be diagnosed before the age of 50.”

With the number 50 at the top of her mind, Belinda committed to climbing 50 peaks within 18 months to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Her start was an elevation of 713 metres on Urambi Hill and Belinda plans to finish on a high – the top of Australia on Mt Kosciuszko (once the snow melts).

“I’ve got 33 mountains left to climb and I’ve raised $755 so far,” she says. “The hardest one was Tuggeranong Hill, which was only 3.7 kilometres but steep all the way up on a rocky path. But the view was amazing, you could see to all the skyscrapers in Gungahlin.”

Leading up to Mt Kosciuszko, Belinda will tackle Mt Bimberi and Mt Townsend, Australia’s three highest peaks. What a great way to gain some perspective on life.

If you want to help Belinda scale great heights, click here: https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraiser/belindalee101280

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