News
On the road again for Breast Cancer with the Comrades Pink Drive
In March 2010 my worst fears were realized. After weeks of breathlessness, lower back ache and a sore chest, my medical team discovered that my breast cancer had moved to my left lung.
It was a crippling blow. I always knew that I was going to live with my HER2+ breast cancer diagnosis for the rest of my (probably short!) life, but somehow I’d always hoped and prayed for a miracle. Now it was obvious that there was going to be no miracle for me. The news was frightening.
Breast cancer, boeuf bourguignon and blockbusters
Yesterday, after my visit to Georgia, my oncologist, I went to movies. Alone. Sometimes it’s therapeutic to do this. It certainly helped that sad day a few weeks ago, when I was visiting my friend, Claudia Zwane, in the oncology ward while she was getting her chemo drip and the woman in the beds next to her died. Just like that.
She was a middle-aged Indian lady, probably a granny like me. Both her daughters were next to her bed, clucking around her like mother hens while the chemical concoction was being pumped into her veins. The next minute, her head just lolled to the side and she died. The daughters went hysterical. The ward with cancer patients was traumatised beyond belief. Poor Claudia, who was sitting right next to the woman (now a corpse), was moved away and we tried to resume our conversation, but it was almost impossible.
Day eight: the grand finale …
By Denise Lloyd (Crew Member)
And then it was the last day. After nearly 2 000 km and seven days of heat, sweat, tears and the warmth and love of the communities, it was saddle-up time for the final leg of the Journey.
The Lichtenburg residents came out in full force to wave goodbye to the girls and the whole road in front of the Cancer Clinic was blocked off to traffic.
Day seven: To the light of Lichtenburg
By Denise Lloyd (Crew member)
The pupils at the different schools in Vryburg were in for a surprise when the Harley girls paid them a visit to spread the good news that breast cancer need not be a death sentence.
The pupils were like sponges, absorbing every word that the riders shared with them. Of course the big machines attracted just as much attention and most of the pupils wanted to touch the Harleys. Sanette and Elsje were very surprised when they walked onto stage and were greeted with “wolf whistles”. Just goes to show what a lady in leathers can do to you.
Day six: following the track to the east
By Denise Lloyd (Crew Member)
It was an early rise and shine for the bikers who went to the schools to spread the word.
According to the girls the welcomes were awesome! Not only did the schools come up with loads of donations for the Journey, they also gave special gifts to the riders.
Day five: hot and dry, but what a beaut!
By Denise Lloyd (Crew Member)
The town Augrabies gets its name from the Augrabies Falls which is also knows as “the water that thunder”. Even before breakfast the riders saddled up for a ride to the Falls. The few hundred metres we had to walk to the lookout points were definitely worth the effort. Although the falls only have minimum water due to the low rainfall, its effect and beauty is awesome. The wide open spaces and the vastness of the open planes have a very calming effect on one’s spirit – and believe me, by the fifth day it wasn’t only the the temperatures that were were soaring. Some tempers were also rising!
Day four: burning the tar… inland
By Denise Lloyd (Crew member)
After the electrifying vibe on Monday evening, the cool breeze from the sea was very welcome. The riders were on such a high that if one could convert their spirit into high octane petrol, the bikes would all have taken take off like rockets!
A leisurely drive along the coast to enjoy the beautiful sights of Port Nolloth had a very calming effect on the ladies. As they turned around to ride back into town, the Roman Catholic school pupils greeted them with a guard of honour. One of the unsuccessful bidders for the teddy bear (that went for R10 000 the previous evening) known as Toffee, came with an early morning surprise: a R2 000 cash donation (just to show that he wasn’t cross for not getting the teddy!
The heat has reached fever pitch!
By Denise Lloyd (crew member)
The children of Springbok will definitely remember the Clicks Journey of Hope 2009. As the bell rang to start the school week, the ladies on their Harleys roared onto the playgrounds. Hundreds of pupils, both on primary and secondary leve,l had the opportunity to listen to what the biker chicks had to say about breast cancer.
At a breakfast session with the town’s breast cancer survivors at the Springbok SPAR , Christine (a survivor) handed Diane her application form for breast cancer reconstruction. This is the ultimate aim of the Journey - to make people aware and to give hope for those who cannot afford reconstruction.
The heat is on
By Denise Lloyd
Have you ever seen 18 beautiful ladies on powerful machines conquering the roads of SA?
The West Coast has come alive with the roar of 18 Harley Davidson motorcycles and just as many beautiful ladies. The Journey of Hope 2009 is in full swing and the cycles are burning up the tar.
But it is not only the bikes that are turning on the heat, the communities of the West Coast have opened their hearts and are pouring out a steady flow of goodwill and love.
Journey of Hope Days 2 & 3. Harleys, Heat and Hope
Please forgive me for not blogging. I am exhausted! Amy is in dreamland in her bed next to me and I’m going to turn into a zombie if I don’t get some much-needed rest.
A quick overview of the last two days:
The Journey of Hope Day 1 . My heart is singing
Oh how could I have forgotten how beautiful my country is? How friendly the welcome here is? The Journey of Hope has begun and we are riding through the heartland of the West Coast, along a wild coastline, fields of indigenous scrubland and meeting the friendliest people.
Clicks Journey of Hope 2009
Fresh off the plane from Amazon Heart Thunder USA, Annelie and Amy will be riding in the Clicks Journey of Hope, which starts on Saturday 17 October, 2009.
Watch this blog for updates and photos as they ride from Cape Town to Johannesburg, via the West Coast, along with 13 other breast cancer survivors.
Still in LA … slowly revving up to ride the Journey of Hope
I’m not sure what day it is. The clock next to the bed here at the La Quinta Airport Hotel (the name evokes an accurate description of its stylish melamine surroundings and Mexicano hats on the wall!) says it’s 11.02am. My watch is on SA time and it’s 8.02pm there right now. Is it the 14th?
Goodbye San Francisco
“If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some
Flowers in your hair...”
I’m in love with San Francisco
“I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill it calls to me
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air
I don’t care”
Of Hogs and hog barbecues
“If everybody had an ocean
Across the USA
Then everybody be surfin’
Like California
Custom choppers, windy roads and a hot tub party
“On the road again
Like a band of gypsies
We go down the highway
We’re the best of friends
Born to be wild
Monterey to Palo Alto
Tuesday 6 october
“Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes your way
Born to be wild ...”
Of Harleys, Hearst Castle and Hippies …
“The people came and listened
Some of them came and played
Others gave flowers away
Yes, they did
Down in Monterey …”
Buellton to Moonstone Beach, Cambria
It’s Sunday night, 4 October. We’re staying in the Fireside Inn on Moonstone Beach. The sunset was magnificent, with views over the shimmering Pacific Ocean.
What a beautiful spot. It looks like Yzerfontein on the Cape West Coast – sea lions basking in the sun and lovely indigenous plants.
We rode 116 miles today. We did some really hard riding against the wind on freeways and on the open road.
DAY 1 Ventura to Buellton
‘We’ve been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for number one
California here we come.’
Ventura Highway in the sunshine…
Ventura Highway in the sunshine …
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine”
Wow! Riding bikes with girls in California
This morning I feel as if I’ve died and gone to heaven. I’ve got a beaut of a Fat Bob with my name on it in the car park, lots of fabulous new girlfriends, the sun is shining and we’re riding off to Ventura Beach later today.
Last night was a different story. I was truly exhausted after wearing a thick leather Harley jacket for our short 180km ride (there and back) to California Harley Davidson. It was 30 degrees out in the sun yesterday and I also acquired two strange looking oblong red sunburn mark on my cheeks where they peeked out from under my helmet. Not a pretty sight. Amy, of course, is looking cool and as well-groomed as ever. Not fair!
Universal Studios for the best fun day ever!
No visit to LA can possibly be complete without a visit to Universal Studios. We had such fun!
First we went on the Studio Tour – an awesome experience as Universal Studios spreads over acres and acres of land with hundreds of sets. First we saw the Desperate Housewives set, complete with wisterias in the lane. I was expecting to find Bree walking up to me with a batch of homemade cookies for us to taste. Then we driven past Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” motel where evidence of Janet Leigh’s untimely death was everywhere. We also saw the sea where the big shark feasted on the holidaymakers in “Jaws”,” the sets of “ET”, “The Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “The Mummy”, loads of attacking dynosaurs and we experienced an earthquake where a huge lorry came rolling towards us and stopped about metre away from our bus. Scary. Nicolas Cage’s souped up Mustang looked brilliant next to a meatwagon full of bloody, dead bodies. Weird!
Wish we all could be California Girls
It’s Wednesday morning, 30 September and a beautiful sunny California day. Wow! It’s our first good-weather day and I hope it lasts through the trip (silly me, I brought no rain gear with me and I’m too stingy to spend my dollars on a rain suit over here.)
Amy has gone off to the hairdresser to have her long, beautiful tresses tarted up.
Amazon Heart Thunder Necklace
Kristen Malan, award winning art director and jewellery designer, made a beautiful necklace with a very special meaning for which the ladies participating in the ride will have a lucky draw.
This is her message to them:
My dreams and prayers are with all of you strong, brave, extraordinary survivors as you undertake this amazing adventure together. Your tenacity of spirit and the support of you family, friends, mentors and healers have brought you to this point in your particular soul journey.
It’s a long, long way to LA!
Los Angeles is a 24-hour journey away from Johannesburg. It’s long, long way on an aeroplane. The food was good. The on-board movies were great but, my goodness, it’s a long time to spend in the air!
We flopped into bed early last night and were woken from a 14-hour sleep by a ringing telephone. Wendy Peek wanted to know if we felt like going to Universal Studios with her and Fiona.
Saturday 26 September. The ordeal of packing for the USA ride.
It’s a lovely, sunny Jo’burg morning. The sun is streaming in through the window, the dogs are all snoring in their assorted beds dotted all over our bedroom and I am still hiding in bed. I know I won’t be able to put it off for much longer. Packing my bag, that is. I’ll just have to take the plunge and do it.
I’m very excited about going to LA for the Amazon Heart Thunder Breast Cancer Ride. I mean, how lucky can a girl get? There’s just one fly in the ointment – I’m a bad, bad packer. I hate it. I always forget something … like knickers, or my camera or my essential medication. And it’s really difficult because we’re only allowed a medium size duffel bag each.
702 and Cape Talk interview on Sunday 13 September
Please listen to Kate Turkington’s “Believe it or not” show on 702 and Cape Talk this coming Sunday at 7:30 pm. She will be interviewing me on breast cancer and Harley Davidson rides around the world – and particularly about the ride coming up in the USA.
Breast cancer and no money? Prepare yourself for a bumpy ride
It’s been four months since my Harley-Davidson motorcycle ride in Australia with my Amazon Heart Thunder sisters. Since then I have given my privileged life a lot of thought. I know how lucky I am to still be alive and well - despite my battle with breast cancer.
This is all because I have a husband with a good job who loves me. He loves me so much that he forks out a massive R33 000.00 each and every month to keep me alive and free of breast cancer.
You may ask how this came about? Why does he pay this large sum of money? How many women thousands of women with breast cancer in South Africa are not this lucky? What happens to them if they can’t afford the medication? Do they fight this dreadful disease without hope until the end and then they die?
Why I am still alive when so many other women with HER2+ breast cancer died so far this year:
Amazon Heart Thunder USA 2009… And we’re there too!
Since our epic Harley-Davidson adventure in Australia, Amy and I have been quietly plotting and hoping and begging the organizers of Amazon Heart Thunder USA 2009, Megan and Meredith,to let us join them in the USA on their next adventure.
We couldn’t believe it when they gave in to our relentless pressure and chose us to join them in this, their last Amazon Heart Thunder Breast Cancer Awareness Ride in the USA.
Inner West Weekly news story and pictures
The following story appeared in the Inner West Weekly in Australia. See the original story here (on page 7): www.digitaledition.innerwestweekly.com.au/
Friday 5 June 2009
PET scan day dawned bright and sunny yesterday morning. I dressed up for the occasion and applied make-up very carefully. No point in looking the way I felt – scared beyond belief.
I had the glucose injection yesterday morning and had to lie still and relax for one and a half hours before the PET scan could commence. This was my third PET scan during the last three years, so I knew what to expect.
Thursday 5 June 2009
I went for a CT scan of the chest area at the Morningside Clinic on yesterday. Scary stuff. My wonderful doctor, Georgia Demetriou, is away at a conference and will see me at 8 o’clock on Monday. I know that she’ll be sending me for tests and scans to determine the extent of my breast cancer. Is there anything scarier than confronting the truth? So I decided that I might as well get it over and done with as soon as possible.
Paul went with me to the scan and waited outside. I’m slightly allergic to iodine. It makes me throw up and feel terribly nauseous. So, while I was heaving away into a bowl, the CT scan was taking stock of my breast cancer.
Wednesday 3 June 2009
We’ve been home for a few days now. It took me a while to surface after the jet lag which I have never experienced before. It is truly a horrible feeling.
On Sunday night Amy and I staggered off the plane after watching seven movies each on the flight and eating all the snacks on board. It’s difficult to nap while someone’s strange, noisy toddler tugs at your hair and runs up and down the aisles. We looked, and felt, like death warmed up.
Sydney 29 – 31 May 2009
We had a great time in Sydney. Short, but very sweet, as we were only there for two nights. Sydney has some fabulous shops and some really good restaurants. We spent our time sightseeing, eating and shopping.
Darling Harbour, the Anzac Bridge and China Town were about as much as we could cram into one morning even though we tried very hard to see more. The rain also made it difficult and we had to rely on taxi’s.
Friday 29 May 2009
Our ride from the Blue Mountains wasn’t very long. I think all of us cherished the last few hours together – especially me on the Rocker. I had become very attached to this motorcycle. How I wish I could afford to own one! They are darned expensive though. I think it will have to remain a dream – especially considering the current Saker financial situation.
We woke up late and washed our Harleys after breakfast. There is such cameraderie amongst the women that the girls who had finished washing their motorcycles would just carry on washing the other girls’ bikes. Really fabulous of them. By the time I had stumbled outside into the cold, my Rocker was already shining in the feeble morning light. Oh well, it’s all about passing on good deeds (and I really didn’t want to because I am inherently lazy) so I washed two more Harleys and felt very good about myself.
Thursday 28 May 2009
On our way to Katoomba in the Bue Hills just outside Sydney, we stopped in a small town called Kurrajong for lunch and fuel.
The ride there was spectacular. This time Amy was generous enough to give up her Harley for the morning so that Wendy could have a ride. We went through real windy countryside and I felt sorry for my darling friend having to spend two hours in the van looking at the scenery and not smelling the wet bluegum forest smells and feeling the cold wind on her face.
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Fraser Harley Davidson gave us a delicious breakfast with fancy caterers this morning.
My helmet and visor won’t be giving me any more problems because Tannie Kruger’s son, Eric, repaired it. He is a gorgeous young man, who is quite homesick but adamant to make a new life in Australia. His wife trained as a doctor at Bloemfontein University and now works at the local hospital. After her Zuma year, she wanted to specialize in psychiatry, but there was nowhere for her to receive the training she needed, so she came to Australia to specialize. I can’t help but wonder how many good people we have lost to this country.
Tuesday 26 May 2009
Tonight we are in Newcastle. The ride was brilliant. The sun shone all the way and we’re all having a good time. Everywhere we go, workmen are busy repairing the flood damage. I reckon it will take some time to complete all the work.
We had a relaxing session in the spa bath to ease our tired muscles and now we can hardly keep our eyes open.
Monday 25 May 2009
I feel like Captain Kirk doing my daily bike blog.
We are absolutely exhausted tonight. Left Breakfree Aanuka Resort, at Coff’s Harbour, later than we’d hoped for. Meredith wasn’t too happy with us because at breakfast (kindly cooked up on a barbie outside North Coast V-Twins Harley Davidson dealership) as we shopped up a storm making us were even later.
Sunday 24 May 2009
We woke up this morning and it was still overcast and raining. Thankfully after all the aircons and praying our gear was dry.
We set off in full rain gear in pursuit of open roads and unflooded sidestreets.
Saturday 23 May 2009
I have never seen so much rain! Rivers, torrents, waterfalls, streams. We were flooded. I cannot believe we rode our Harleys through such terrible weather. The country is in the grips of an awful storm.
We set off from Warwick in Queensland to Lennox Head in New South Wales. We rode in the rain throughout the day as wet as scuba divers. I’ve never been so soaked or so cold in my whole life.
I take my hat off to Meredith, our road captain, who innovatively found open and unfloaded roads for us to travel on.
Friday 22 May 2009
We are in Warwick. Tomorrow we ride to Coff’s Harbour, about 254kms from here. Not too far and it should be good fun.
We woke up at 6am at Tangalooma this morning, all scuttled for the bathrooms and were all packed and ready for breakfast by 7am. The pelicans were having a fish feast on the beach – great to watch their silly funny walk and zigzag takeoff when they fly.
Thursday 21 May 09 continued…
This is our last night on Tangalooma Island. It is now almost 12pm and most of he girls are in dreamland. I’m sitting on the balcony as I don’t want to disturb my roommates, Demi (Aussie) and Nancy (American).
All our gear is ready for tomorrow. We’ll jump unto our riding boots on waking, and throw our ready-packed bags on the ferry and make for the (hopefully dry!) mainland at 8:30am. Then it’s off to the Harley dealership and A for Away and we’ll roar down the street making a helluva racket. I’m a bit feverish with excitement and can’t understand how the rest of my mates can be sleeping like little angels! My pulse is racing.
Thursday 21 May 09
We are still on Tangalooma Island, just off the coast of Brisbane. The weather has been most unseasonal and Queensland has been battered by a tropical cyclone since Sunday – a great shame as Tangalooma is a fabulous resort with excellent snorkelling, catamaran trips, dune boarding and 4x4 excursions. The storms were so fierce yesterday that the hotel staff had to stack sandbags around some of the entrances to stop the rivers of rainwater pouring into the hotel.
Unfortunately we had to miss our training day on the Harleys today back on the mainland, due to the foul weather. This means that I have not seen my Rocker C yet – and all of us will only become acquainted wit our Harleys during a quick riding session at the dealership tomorrow.
Amazon Heart Thunder Necklace
Kristen Malan, award winning art director and jewellery designer, made a beautiful necklace with a very special meaning for which the 42 ladies participating in the ride will have a lucky draw.
This is her message to them:
“My dreams and prayers are with all of you strong, brave, extraordinary survivors as you undertake this amazing adventure together. Your tenacity of spirit and the support of you family, friends, mentors and healers have brought you to this point in your particular soul journey.”
An adventure of a lifetime
On Sunday my darling friend and fellow breast cancer survivor, Amy Jansen and I will leave for Australia to share in an adventure of a lifetime.
We will be riding iconic Harley Davidsons through some of Australia’s most beautiful countryside. Best of all - there will be 42 of us. All women with breast cancer. Some of us are well now. A lot of us, in true female Amazon warrior fashion, have one breast … or no breasts. Several of us still have the disease. Most of us have no hair. Some have lustrous locks. We are all different, but the same under our skins. We want to tell the tale of breast cancer. And we’ll tell it by participating in this adrenalin-fueled ride known as Amazon Heart Thunder 2009.
How the Journey of Hope gave us wings to fly
In October 2008 Amy Jansen and I were very privileged to be part of a unique motorcycle ride – the 2008 Journey of Hope Breast Cancer Ride. Twelve breast cancer survivors revved up their motorcycles and Hummer support vehicles to create a greater awareness of breast cancer in South Africa. Our other aim was to raise funds for breast cancer reconstruction operations for the many breast cancer survivors in our country who are not in position to finance this expensive surgery themselves.
Life without hope is empty
In December 2004, six months after I turned 50, my carefree career driven life fell apart. Three days after Christmas I felt a lump in my right breast, and a few days later I sat in a doctors consulting room hearing, but not listening as he was telling me that “you have lobular carcinoma in situ.”
After a marathon session of breast cancer treatment that lasted for four months, I could hardly wait to get back to a normal life again. But the day of my last radiation treatment didn’t mark the end of my journey with breast cancer. The ride had just begun!
I now live my best life. I make every day count.
I have always subscribed to a fairly healthy lifestyle. I am the mother of two boys, Ian and Nic (and a lovely daughter-in-law, Julia) and grandmother of a six month old child prodigy (that’s what I believe and I’m sticking to it!) I am happily married and have a demanding job in advertising.
I went for regular mammograms. I did the self-examinations in the shower. I went to the “Cuppa for Cansa” teas. I tut-tutted when I heard of women I knew who were diagnosed with breast cancer. I always thought that breast cancer would never happen to me. How wrong I was! Breast cancer can come like a thief in the night and change your life forever.
Confessions of a serial boober
I had a radical mastectomy the day after my younger son, Nic’s,16th birthday on 7 August 2006. It was a gut-feel, wild impulsive ‘let’s get rid of this bloody cancer” thing to do. I wanted this alien growth, this destroyer of lives, this THING out of my body. After I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I consulted three surgeons to help me make the right decision. Each of them had a different idea.