Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page. My name is John although many of you will know me as Max, a nickname I have had since I was three years old. Millie is my darling granddaughter and she is currently three. Millie is like any other three year old - full of fun and laughter - and she brings huge amounts of joy into the lives of my wife, Jan, and me. But Millie has cystic fibrosis and that imposes many additional demands both on her and her family. Millie was diagnosed with cf just three weeks after she was born. At that time I knew very little about cystic fibrosis and even less about the CF Trust and the very important work this charity does in supporting cf sufferers, as well as funding vital research into gene therapy and other medical solutions. However, it is not known or really expected that a complete cure will ever be found since cf is a genetic disorder. Without the CF Trust the lives of many if not most of cf sufferers in the UK would be much more painful and hence a lot less fun than they are. Nonetheless there is still a long way to go with the efforts to find an answer that will mean cf sufferers can enjoy normal lives with normal life expectancy.

I decided I wanted to do something that would be a challenge for me personally yet would benefit the CF Trust, and through that possibly help ensure some joy in the life of Millie and repay her for the joy she brings into my life. I have never climbed a mountain before, although I have been lucky enough to visit Africa and have seen Mount Kilimanjaro from a distance. I felt an attempt to reach the top would be a suitable challenge. I recruited my brother, Barry, and conscripted my son, Jonathan, to complete the team of three. In fact both were very keen to join me. We have organised a nine day trek and if all goes well will reach the summit on 18 September 2013.

Our preparations are under way with acquiring the equipment needed and getting ourselves into shape. We are hoping friends, acquaintances, and even others who do not know us personally will support our efforts. Every penny and cent donated will go to the CF Trust.

We are even prepared to consider wearing on the trek T-shirts, hats or the like with company logos, if there is anyone willing to sponsor us to do so. (We will of course be taking photos during the trek and will make them available to our supporters.)

If you would like to know more about the CF Trust and the important work the charity does, please go to www.cftrust.org.uk

To help encourage us in our fitness training for this venture  and in confronting the challenge that lies ahead of us in our endeavours to ensure that all three Lerwills succeed in reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro, please show your support by donating what you can. Your kind generocity will be greatly appreciated not only by the members of the Lerwill team, but also by the CF Trust and by cf sufferers generally.

You can also donate £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 by texting "KILM48 [amount]" to 70070. E.g. to donate £5, text KILM48 £5 to 70070.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.