British Explorer to Climb for Charity

British adventurer Ranulph Fiennes has announced plans to scale the Eiger, in the Swiss Alps, to raise money for cancer patients.

Fiennes, 62, said he will begin his climb of the 6,000 foot rock in March, despite suffering from vertigo, a heart condition and being unable to use half the fingers on his left hand due to frostbite from a 2000 polar expedition, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

The explorer aims to raise about $3 million for the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Program, which helps terminal cancer patients choose where they die.

The Eiger is a big monster and climbing it will be truly challenging, but with every step that our three-man team takes, I’ll know that our efforts will be making a real and tangible difference to the lives of terminally ill people, their families and carers across the U.K.

Fiennes said his wife, sister and mother all died of cancer within 18 months of each other.

I have watched my own nearest and dearest die of a terminal illness and I understand the huge difference to a patient’s morale and sense of well-being when they have the choice to spend their last days in the security of their own home, he said.