Isle of Dogs woman aiming to raise £25,000 for charity with South Pole expedition

Genny Brown in training for her trek to the South Pole. Picture: Ken Mears (Image: Archant)

Genny Brown, 35, led a busy and active life - until in 2013 she was struck by serious illness.

“It started with massive hair loss, then went to fatigue and night sweats,” she said, adding that the “worst part” was symptoms similar Alzheimer’s, where she would forget things she had only just been told.

Genny went to see what she thought was a top doctor to try to get treatment and after “three terrible years of misdiagnoses” was told she would never again have an active lifestyle, would most likely be on antibiotics for the rest of her life and would struggle to maintain her career as a trading operator for an energy company.

However after making a full recovery following a correct diagnosis of Lyme Disease two years ago, Genny is set to embark on the 111km skiing expedition from the one degree line in Antartica to the South Pole with a 50kg sled containing food and shelter in temperatures up to -50°C.

Lyme Disease is often not properly diagnosed, Genny said, because tests tend to focus on white blood cells, but Lyme Disease is detected in the red blood cells.

“What if I had just accepted what the doctor said?” she said.

To train for the expedition Genny has been spending her weekends going for runs up to 55km long on east London’s canal towpaths while pulling a tyre behind her and riding an exercise bike in an altitude chamber.

Genny, who is originally from the Caribbean island of Aruba, will be the first woman from her country to complete the expedition if she is successful.

She hopes to raise awareness about the condition and inspire others to overcome adversity by not being “limited by people’s perception of what you can and cannot do”..

She said: “How many other people are just sitting there and not listening to their bodies?”

Genny embarks on her trip in November. To donate, click here.