A registered radiographer is taking on 40 charity events before she turns 40 as part of efforts to raise money for breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Alexandra Cook is a radiographer working at Siemens Healthineers, and has recently decided to undertake the 40 under 40 challenge, with her next big charity events being a 100km run along the Thames path and trekking to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Ms Cook’s late uncle was diagnosed with prostate cancer during the pandemic and together they decided that before she was 40, she would take on the events to raise awareness to charities that have supported her friends and family.
She explained: “I started this journey with the Kew Half Marathon in April 2023 and sadly after the race I found out my uncle had died - so I have to complete it.”
'The hardest challenge yet'
Ms Cook has so far completed 16 out of 40 events, with 18 months remaining. These include running half marathons, walking from London to Brighton, trekking across the Tour du Mont Blanc route in France, and more recently running the London Marathon for the Guide Dogs charity.
She has raised over £7,000 in total. Her charity plans for the rest of 2024 include running from Putney to Henley along the Thames. On the same weekend, she will be undertaking the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Tower Run challenge, climbing 52 flights of stairs, before running the Royal Parks Half Marathon the following day.
Later that same week she will fly out to Tanzania and trek the Lemosho route to climb Kilimanjaro.
“This will be the hardest challenge yet with trekking to the summit at 5,895m over 10 days with no one I know,” she added.
"The next four challenges are for the charities the RNLI where in my spare time I volunteer as crew member for the Chiswick station and CoppaFeel, the breast cancer awareness charity."
CoppaFeel emphasises the importance of understanding your body, and advocating for when you need to see a doctor. Ms Cook explained she has worked with cancer patients, and friends and family who have had breast cancer.
The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is a charity with 238 lifeboat stations and over 5,700 volunteers. In 2022 over 16,400 people were helped by a lifeboat and 23,004 people were aided by lifeguards at the beach.
Putting radiography skills to use
As an RNLI crew member, Ms Cook said the skills she has learnt as a radiographer are being put to good use.
“Being able to be calm under pressure, communicating clearly and effectively, understanding tasks and doing them in a safe and methodical way, working as a team as well as delivering lifesaving first aid in the middle of the river Thames,” Ms Cook explained.
“So bringing these two charities together for the next four events seems strange and not a perfect fit but they will get me up the mountain!”
'Different and varied'
She added her career as a radiographer has been “different and varied.” Ms Cook started her career as a healthcare assistant in imaging, and was supported by the trust she worked for to go to university and become a radiographer.
After graduating in 2011, Ms Cook went on to specialise cardiac and interventional radiography, moving to London to work in a specialised hospital.
During Covid, she became the lead radiographer at the NHS Nightingale Hospital London.
'Great for my mental health'
Ms Cook went on to become imaging workforce lead at NHS England, and graduated with an MSc in Patient Safety at Imperial College. In 2023, she moved to Siemens Healthineers.
“With a full time job, and volunteering at the lifeboat station, training has been hard, especially training in all of the different events I am doing,” she said. “But I have to remember why I am doing it… I am doing it for my Uncle, my friends and my family.
“If me running, trekking or cycling can make someone click onto the charity page and help them - I am happy. Through the last couple of years I have also grown as a person, meeting different people and working through difficult times has made me more aware of my surroundings and being outside is great for my headspace and mental health.”
You can view Ms Cook's fundraising page here.
(Image: Alexandra Cook)