Charles Bourloud - From zero to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro

This was the hardest he’d ever pushed himself, which is no small feat given his background. A born athlete and flying down mountains on skis before he could count, Charles played soccer at a competitive level during most of his childhood and young adult years. He was driven by competition and team spirit both in his private and professional life: “I dreamed of winning championships and big titles at work.”

But at age 31, at the start of a new soccer season in 2022, he got some devastating news. What had started as a suspicion of a sports injury in his knee became a life-changing event overnight: cancer. Moreover, this form of  cancer was so rare that treatment hadn’t evolved in 35 years for lack of research funding.

Despite unfavourable prognostics and several setbacks during treatment, Charles’ dogged optimism kept him going. “I’m a numbers guy, rational. However, when the odds are not in my favour, I choose to focus on the exceptions, because I strongly believe that the state of mind can change the outcome.”

“I found comfort in taking one step at a time and celebrating every small victory, like making it through another round of chemo or not catching Covid.” His close circle of family and friends also played a big part in his recovery. They visited often, offering smiles, good vibes and energy. 

Eventually, after countless rounds of chemotherapy and major surgery in which his right knee and chunks of bones were removed, Charles was deemed cancer-free. All that remained was to resume life where he had left off just a few months earlier. Starting with his prosthetic knee and knowing only that nothing would ever be the same again. “I underestimated how much it would affect my daily life. I have to manage the pain, avoid certain activities like running, and be a lot more cautious in general. I’m more at risk if I fall sick or injure myself.”

Which brings us back to climbing Africa’s tallest mountain, at 5895m above sea level. The idea came to Charles from a close friend, after admitting that he was struggling to feel like himself again, two years into remission. The friend offered Charles to accompany her and seven other people on a wild adventure to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. He would be in good company: the challenge had a strong symbolic dimension for all involved, as each was grieving a loved one or recovering from illness or injury. 

Charles immediately accepted and pounced on the opportunity to turn the feat into something bigger: he wanted to help raise funds for his oncologist’s research project on the rare form of cancer he’d had. After much thought, he decided to film the ascension in an effort to raise funds but also awareness. By sharing his story, he wanted to prove to people struggling with cancer that their illness doesn’t have to mean the end. After getting approval from his doctors, Charles had only a month to prepare before his trip. “When I started training, I was so out of shape. I had to step up my game quickly, so I picked up swimming, cycling, and walked a lot. I even did a few sessions in a room with low oxygen to simulate altitude.”

To his surprise the first days of his trip went well. The trek started out in a lush forest, where the air felt thick and heavy. The group hiked 5 to 10km each day with 1000m of positive elevation gain at a time, before settling down at night to share a meal, play boardgames and talk. “Sharing our personal journeys and struggles brought everyone closer. We laughed together and motivated and took care of each other.”

Due to having a reduced range of motion in his prosthetic knee, ordinary movements or situations like putting his shoes on, sitting in a crowded bus or kneeling down to enter his tent proved to be a challenge to which Charles had to learn to adapt. 

Difficulty picked up as they reached higher grounds. While the ascension of Mount Kilimanjaro requires no technical climbing skills, the physical fitness and ability to adjust to the altitude is decisive: at 3500m oxygen becomes so scarce that it poses a threat to human life, particularly if the ascent is too rapid.

As days of hiking went by, trees were replaced by low bushes, increasingly loose gravel, and eventually patches of snow. On the sixth – and final - day, the group left their camp at midnight. Some members of the group had been experiencing headaches and nausea for a while, but it was only at the 5400m mark that Charles really started to struggle. His condition deteriorated to such an extent that he had an out-of-body experience: “I saw myself walking and started to sob uncontrollably.” Still, he pushed himself.

Determined to reach the top with everyone else, Charles succumbed to using his trekking poles for the last hundred metres. He admits to have been prepared to drop his backpack and crawl if it came to it. At last, the group reached Uhuru Peak, the mountain’s summit, together. It was a mighty moment of closure, pain, joy and everything in between, that seemed to last forever. “Everyone was so emotional. We hugged, cried, took a million pictures.” 

Charles’ initial motivation had been to inspire others, but along the track he realised that it was first about proving to himself that he’d beaten the illness and that there was more to his life. “After cancer, I had a lot of questions about what I wanted my future to look like.” Connecting with family and friends, and stressing less over work were part of the answer. “I’m still as ambitious, I’m just better at managing expectations: I feel more at peace no matter the outcome, because I know that I will grow from the experience.”

Thanks to his regular updates on his Instragram account @brutalcancer, Charles has raised 20’000 CHF during his trek and since his return. He has continued to raise awareness and funds in his free time by speaking at conferences and plans to air the documentary of his ascent at the end of the year on social media. 

Among his next crazy ideas, he is thinking about climbing a 8000m summit and having a book written on his story. “There is no shame in telling. So often illness is seen as a weakness, but it can be the catalyst for absolute strength.”