TWO Irish sisters are carrying a photo of their late climbing-loving father to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The treasured photo depicts Conor O’Duffy at the African mountain’s summit nine months before he died from oesophageal cancer in 2004. Now 20 years on daughters Jennifer, 26, and Sarah O’Duffy, 24, are retracing the 42-year-old’s footsteps to raise money for the charity Oesophageal Cancer Fund.
The pair marked Father’s Day by setting out on the climb - and are expected to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on Saturday, June 22. Jennifer, who was seven when her father died, told how they were determined to honour their dad. She said: “The photo is of him at the summit with the glaciers in the back.
“We are going to take it with us, and hopefully, capture a great photo of us with it too.” Sarah, who was four when her father died, says taking the pic of Conor with them on their Mount Kilimanjaro adventure will feel like they are making the journey with their dad. She said: “Looking back at his amazing achievement, of climbing the mountain while he was sick with oesophageal cancer.
“That motivated us hugely to set out on this journey with each other while raising awareness and funds for the cancer that took him at such a young age and took him away from his young family. “I think being so young when he passed away, my memories come through photos. "I think it’s really special retracing some of his last footsteps on Earth beginning Father’s D.
