Rugby captains' Kilimanjaro test

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By Colette Hume BBC News Scott Quinnell, organiser Huw Evans, Scott Gibbs, Paul Thorburn, Ryan Jones and Dr Jason Lester of Velindre Cancer Centre at the launch of the climb

The photographer Huw Evans has captured some of the most defining images of Wales - from the Sea Empress disaster to the triumphs and travails of Welsh rugby - but while he's been photographing battles on the pitch, off it he and his wife Sue have been fighting a battle of a very different kind. Last year she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Huw decided he wanted to raise £1m for the Velindre Cancer Centre's Stepping Stones Appeal - the money will go towards research into the causes of lung cancer. It's the most common cancer in Wales. One in five of patients - like Sue - don't smoke.

He asked 15 former Wales captains and the current coach Warren Gatland if they would climb Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa's highest mountain at 5,891.8m (19,330ft). They all agreed.

Sue and Huw Evans tell their story.

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Sue first felt unwell while the couple were in Paris for a rugby match in October of last year.

"I got up in the morning and felt a tightness on my chest. I realised I didn't have a cold," she said.

"Two weeks later I went for a walk with the dogs - came home - only just made it home, lay down on the sofa, I went to the computer and googled the symptoms. Six days later, I was told that was what I had."

Photographer Huw Evans decided to raise money for cancer research after his wife Sue was diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Huw had photographed some of the biggest stories in the world - in his words he has seen "great things and terrible things" - but nothing could prepare him for the shock of what the doctors told them.

"It was just incredible that we were taken into a room - life had been so wonderful before that. We'd never had a problem, business was good then all of a sudden you think I'm not going to have a wife the other side of Christmas, if we make Christmas," he said.

"I don't think you could ever be told anything as devastating as that, but it happened."

The couple was told lung cancer is the most common form of cancer in Wales - one in five patients, like Sue, don't smoke. Doctors still don't know why so many people get the disease.

Specialists at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff told Huw about the research they want to do - so he offered to help by raising them £1m.

"The idea for Kilimanjaro came from Velindre, a wonderful place. They said would you like to do something with Kilimajaro? I said 'yes, I'll get sponsored' - then I thought I could get some rugby guys involved."

As official photographer to the Welsh Rugby Union Huw had become friends with many of the players he'd photographed through the years.

"After a while we realised some of these guys are former captains of Wales so I thought, what about if I took a team of captains," he said.

Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain and is 5,891.8m (19,330ft) high

"These guys are just absolutely wonderful, you didn't have to twist their arms. I said what it was all about and why we wanted to do this and they all said yes, no problem, we'll do it."

The list includes Ieuan Evans, Gareth Thomas, Scott Gibbs, Scott Quinnell, Garin Jenkins and Rob Howley, but there is one extra member of the team - the current Wales coach Warren Gatland.

"When I asked Rob Howley he said straightaway 'yeah, I'll do it, it's a great cause', and I just said on the off chance - it'd be funny if Warren wanted to do it - Warren Gatland.

"Ten minutes later he rang me back and said Warren has asked can he do this with us? It wasn't a case of us asking him - as soon as he knew what it was about he wanted to do it. What great guys.

"It's incredible - these guys have reached the pinnacle of their careers playing for Wales - some are British Lions as well. When you spend time with the Welsh rugby team, travelling abroad with them, every now and then you have to pinch yourself - this is probably one of the best job in the world.

"For them to suddenly help you out when you needed help, it was so much of a tonic when we were going through all of this to realise that these guys wanted to help as well.

"They couldn't have done a better job really - we'll see about that when they get to the top of Kilimanjaro - they're great, they're wonderful.

I'm not sure about the training, I'm playing squash - there aren't any 20,000ft mountains in Wales to train on Ieuan Evans

"Scott Quinnell has amazed me because Scott's just had two knee operations. He rang and said to me on the phone, 'I'll be training in a couple of weeks and that I'll probably be fitter than when I played for Wales and I'll probably be in the running for the autumn internationals for Wales next year'. I told him I hope not, we want him up Kilimanjaro."

The climb is due to take place next September.

Ieuan Evans says he's nervous about the challenge, but is delighted to be involved.

"It's the fear of the unknown. I've never done anything like this before, but Huw's a good guy and when I heard about what he wanted to do and why, I said yes," he said.

"I'm not sure about the training, I'm playing squash - there aren't any 20,000ft mountains in Wales to train on."

'Immense support'

A year after that diagnosis Sue has undergone surgery and chemotherapy. She plans to meet the captains - and Huw - on their return from the summit. She undergoes checks every two months.

"I feel very well and I'm enjoying life," she said.

"I think if we've learned one thing from this experience, it's this - the realisation that we have so many people who are such good friends, the closeness that evolved of family and friends, the feeling of people closing around us giving us immense support - that is just fantastic."