A DEPARTMENT store supervisor who overcame serious illness has scaled to Mount Everest to reach Base Camp and raised £6,000 to support military veterans.

Tracy Le Grys, who works in Debenhams in Colchester, completed the 17,000 plus ft trek as the latest on her long-list of charity fundraisers.

More than a decade ago, Tracy, from Little Horkesley, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, which is when the body’s immune system weakens and becomes more prone to infection.

She spent around two months in hospital but found when she finally entered remission it gave her a new lease on life.

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So Tracy drew up a bucket list of challenges, including a tandem parachute jump from 10,000 ft, driving a Ferrari and white water rafting, many of which have already been completed.

She admits the climb to Everest Base Camp was her most difficult challenge yet.

Tracy, 54, said: “The weather at times was challenging, with the worst snow storms for 15 years and temperatures at night which went down to minus 17 degrees.

“Some of our group were airlifted off - one with hyperthermia and altitude sickness, one who was bitten by a dog and another who was physically exhausted.

“It took us eight days to trek to base camp, as you need to acclimatise on the way and three days to get back down.”

Despite facing some of the most gruelling conditions on earth and battling altitude sickness, Tracy said the experience was unforgeable.

“The views were absolutely out of this world,” she said.

“We learnt so much whilst over there about the environment and the wildlife of the area. It was a pretty amazing experience.”

So far she has collected £5,981 for Help for Heroes, but with more still to roll in she is confident of topping the £6,000 mark.

And she’s already working on organising another charity challenge despite her family’s protestations.

Mum-of-one Tracy said: “I am over the moon with the amount I have raised.

“I will do a few more small fundraising events over the next year or so and in 2022 I am planning another challenge with two ladies I met on the trek.

“They called us the Three Musketeers over there so we decided we had to do something together in the future.”

Donate at bit.ly/2Uhiilh.