Meet Our Supporters: Dr Nazneen

Our first-ever trek in Morocco – Mount Toubkal was an incredible experience for our volunteer, Dr Nazneen. She shares her experience with us in her own words.

“I was excited and nervous and couldn’t wait for IKCA’s Mount Toubkal trek I’d signed up for. However, I was struck with a nasty viral infection a few days prior to my flight. I was lethargic, feverish, and had muscle pain, and I needed to spend most of the time resting. Then I had the difficult dilemma of deciding whether to pursue my travel plans.

“Fortunately, on the day of the flight, I awoke feeling slightly better and was well enough to embark on my journey to Morocco. I landed in Marrakech and was met by my guide and driver. The next afternoon, we arrived in Imlil, a beautiful village in the Atlas Mountains and the starting point of the Toubkal challenge. I met some of the village residents and went on a walk with the guide. It was really peaceful and scenic.

“The next morning I awoke early and prepared for the trek with a nourishing breakfast and packed the items I would need at the base camp. These were sent to base camp on a mule!

“And we set off. It was very humid and in fact, it was the first time I had done a long trek in such intense heat, but the views were spectacular. When we reached base camp (3207m) we were served welcome refreshments. That evening was very cold, but we were well taken care of. The facilities were quite basic compared to the luxuries I’m used to in the UK, or what most of us enjoy on trips abroad.

“It was good to appreciate the surroundings and reflect on many things. I found it difficult to sleep and must have only drifted off just before my alarm went off at 3 am. We downed a hearty breakfast knowing we would be trekking a good few hours on an incline.

“We left at 4 am and it was surreal to be trekking in the dark with torch lights – all hikers lined up in a path and beams of light visible at a distance. The ascent felt relentless and there were a few times I nearly fell on some of the rocks but I kept pushing myself. At the back of my mind, I knew that this brief period of struggle would help to save the lives of cancer patients in Pakistan.

“Alhamdulillah, I reached the summit in time to watch the sunrise at around 7 am. It was exhilarating to see the beautiful red and orange hues in the sky on top of the highest mountain (4,167) in North Africa. This gave me immense happiness and I felt very proud of my achievement considering I only had started trekking 5 months earlier. I’d climbed Scafell Pike in May and Snowdon in June with IKCA.

“Just thinking, that a few days earlier I was feeling poorly and lying in bed wondering whether to cancel my travel plans and now I was on top of Mount Toubkal! It was fantastic to spend some time at the top reflecting and admiring the views.

“Shortly after, we descended and I felt this was more of a struggle than the ascent. The small stones and gravel made on the path made it hard to walk without falling and I did slip a few times. But I took it easy and steadied myself using my hiking pole. It wasn’t long before we were at base camp again.

“After a short time resting there, we came back to Imlil village. Alhamdulillah, I was so happy to have completed the challenge and found the whole experience very rewarding. I hope to continue challenging myself and raising funds for IKCA in the future Insha’Allah.”

A big thank you to Dr Nazneen from our patients and staff at Shaukat Khanum hospitals for your commitment to helping our patients beat cancer.

You too, can join any of our exciting challenges. Apart from local and international treks, we have other fitness and craft activities, so you’re bound to find something that suits you. Check out our line-up below.