Leeds man whose story touched the lives of the whole community to scale Mount Fuji
A Leeds man who has dedicated the past six years to raising thousands of pounds for Sue Ryder, the charity that cared for his wife, is about to embark on his seventh mammoth fundraiser this July.
Over two days, Ricky Moore, will scale Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, with one of his wife’s closest friends, Sarah Brown, to mark six years since Gemma died of cancer, aged just 39.
Sue Ryder provides expert palliative and end-of-life care through its hospices, to people at home as well as grief support. Gemma spent ten weeks in the expert and compassionate care of the charity’s Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice in Headingley.
During her time their staff helped the couple marry in the hospice, creating a moment of joy and dignity at the hardest time in their lives.
Ricky said: “We got engaged on Gemma’s 30th birthday in 2011 and had just never got round to organising a wedding, but Wheatfields turned it around in two days.
"They organised a priest, they set up a special room for us, they decorated, they got a cake. One lady called Vicky even came in on her day off to do Gem’s hair and makeup. She looked amazing.”
Since Gemma’s death, Ricky has taken on a fundraiser each year, from hiking the Hollywood Hills dressed as Hulk Hogan, to organising a charity powerlifting event at his gym, and climbing Scafell Pike and Snowdon.
He has raised an incredible £23,000 so far, contributing to more than £75k raised collectively by friends and family in Gemma’s memory.
“I’m flabbergasted by how much I’ve raised. £23,000 is just insane,” shared Ricky.
Talking about his and Gemma’s time at the Leeds Sue Ryder hospice, Ricky said: “I can’t thank Wheatfields enough for the amazing care – it really was another level. There was such humanity, they genuinely care about each individual as a person, and they couldn’t have done any more for us. In every aspect they went over and above.”
“People might expect a hospice to hold difficult memories, but for me Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice is also the place where Gemma and I shared some of our best memories, including our wedding, but also watching films, playing games and spending meaningful time together,” he adds.
Ricky and Sarah have organised the incredible trip themselves, booking flights, accommodation and a local guide.
They fly to Tokyo on Sunday 19 July, to start the 12,389 feet climb on Tuesday 21 July.
They plan to scale around two-thirds of the mountain on the first day, sleeping overnight on the mountain to acclimatise, before setting off at around 2.30am to summit in time for the sun to rise on 22 July. The day Gemma died six years ago.
Ricky says that fundraising gives him a continued space to talk about Gemma, share her memory and honour the promise he made to keep fundraising for Sue Ryder for the rest of his life. He adds that he is determined to make the challenges bigger over time to keep awareness and interest alive.
“I’m not going to let time take away that memory of how good the staff were to Gem and to me. I made a promise that I would do fundraising work for Sue Ryder forever, and it wasn’t a half-hearted promise,” he said.
To support Ricky and Sarah's fundraising visit: Ricky Moore is fundraising for Sue Ryder
To find out more about Sue Ryder visit sueryder.org