Journey of Hope

16 October - Grand finale

2010-10-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

When things come to an end it's always sad, especially after the magic experienced on the road for a whole week. But the final day of this fabulous week of creating awareness and touching so many people's lives, the last day was magic in itself, even if it was an emotional goodbye for everyone.

The girls departed early from Montagu for a breakfast stop at Rooiberg Farm where the flamboyant Piper James escorted them to another suprise.

The popular Afrikaans singer, Danie Niehaus, who was elevated up in the sky with a forklift, sang his famous song, "Jy is vrou" (translated, You are a woman) who had all the girls (even those who don't understand Afrikaans!) in tears. When hoards of pink helium filled balloons were launched up in the sky, the emotions ran even higher.

After the fry-up the ladies made a few stops en route to Tyger Valley, and all along the way other Harley enthusiasts and riders joined the procession. An estimated 250 other bikers escorted them all the way to the end!

At the Harley shop in Tyger Valley (the generous sponsors of the bikes for the trip) loads of people eagerly awaited their arrival in and around a big pink bedouin tent, festivally decorated with even more pink balloons and flowers! Pink definately was the colour of the day! Local Drummies entertained the crowd, and a big cheer went up when the roar of the big machines momentarily drained the festive atmosphere.

The ladies were treated like true hero's, which is exactly what they are. Survivors and warriors of an illness that, if you detect it early and get the proper treatment, doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence. Whilst having lunch and some icy bubbly, a children's choir sang a few songs, after which the singer Lize Beekman treated them with her talent. Another surprise was the two birthday cakes presented to the birthday girls, Frieda and Theresa.What a special way for them to celebrate another year of survival.

Shimmy gave her last Hoezit my Bra!show for the tour, and all the Survivors had her in tears when they chorused the words with her. Just before the final goodbyes all the survivors went on stage for the last time to sing the Journey of Hope anthem with the Claude Pretorius, one of the very special crew members for the week. No one could hold back the tears at that stage, and emotions went through the roof.

No words can describe what a week like this evoke in one's heart. The ladies and crew alike where touched by all the beauty and magic on the 2233km they covered in 8 short days. And hopefully the over 10 000 people they shared their stories with will feel exactly the same way.

Thanks to everyone who made this experience a life changing one.

(Photo's and words for the blogs: Nadine Petrick)

Day 7 - Almost time to round things up

2010-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

The girls spent a lovely evening at the Garden Route Game Lodge close to Albertinia in the Western Cape, and it was from there that they departed this morning. But first they had to make a few stops in the vicinity to spread their message of hope and encouragement. At this day, day 7, they had spoken face to face to approximately 8 000 people! What an amazing achievment, and the Journey isn't over yet!

Petro van Staden organised an amazing breakfast for the team at the Kraaines Restaurant in Albertinia, along with some other breast cancer survivors from the small town. Petro makes prosteses for underpriveleged women,and the Journey of Hope team decided that they will sponsor this angel for one year with funds they have collected.

At the Albertinia High School the kids and other visitors dressed in pink waited in anticipation for the arrival of the Harleys. But besides the impression the bikes made on young and old, the message came accross very strongly. Shimmy was also having the time of her life on stage in front of the very big bra that Petro made in support of one of her friends. Elize inspired them further with her story of survival.

Albertinia is Aloe country, and because everyone received some lovely gifts from Alcare Aloe, they decided to pop in and give personal thanks. Little did they know that another big bra awaited them. This enormous brassiere was handed over to the Journey team on behalf of everyone at Alcare Aloe.

Langeberg Foods is one of the largest canning factories in South Africa, and when the team wheeled through Ashton they simply had to stop to talk to the factory workers. After Shimmy had the men and women rolling on the floor with laughter, Elize did her second talk for the morning.

At that time they were running behind schedule a bit, because of the terrible riding conditions. Road works and patches of heavy rain slowed them down tremendously, but like the Road Captain Petto said numerous times during the Journey: Safety first. The delay on the road made all the girls rather hungry, but our fabulous organisers made sure of a late lunch they would never forget. Bon Courage in Bonnievale did not only feed the hungry survivors,but also spoiled them with a couple of cases of their famous pink bubbly called Blush.

The weather suddenly cleared up which made the ride through the winelands an awesome experience. The mountains and lush green vineyards made a great backdrop for the camera crew following them to Montagu, but the hole in the wall just before this lovely town also caught their fancy!

The last event for the night was held in the NG Church School Hall beforethe girls booked in at the Montagu Country Lodge for the last official night of the Journey.

Tomorrow, Saturday 16 October, is the big day - if you are curious to hear and see what happened during the grand finale, please come and read the blog.

Day 6 - Winding down

2010-10-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday was not a very eventful day, but a necessary one. The survivors had sheets of rain to deal with for the better part of the day's ride, but luckily everyone arrived safely at the Garden Route Lodge in Albertinia late in the afternoon for some much needed rest.

They had made a few stops a along the way though, starting at the Mug & Bean in Knysna for a generous free coffee.

In George the group split up in two sections. Porters Auto is the sponsorafthe support vehicles that the crew is driving,and the ladies popped in at the George branch to say thanks! A few of the other girls went to Eden FM for a live radio interview. Much fun was had before they departed for the Kalahari Theatre Restaurant for the one and only Shimmy show for the day.

Ther kykNET crew, who is shooting a documentary, made use of the this free time to shoot some interviews with the girls.

Come read later today to see what this day had in store for the ladies!

Day 5 - It's raining, it's pouring!

2010-10-14T03:20:00.000-07:00

It was a tough ride for the girls yesterday. It started raining early morning, and with only a dry patch here and there, it was slippery slope all the way to Tsitsikamma. But all the lovely things that happened en route to the little Storms River village made this difficult and wet stretch of the journey a worthwhile experience.

The first official stop was at the Netcare Greenacres in windy city, Port Elizabeth, which lived up to its name yesterday morning. Adele Kennedy, the marketing manager of Netcare and Tertia King from the finances department pulled their weight from the word go when they heard about the Journey of Hope, and on their own initiative organized a “bra raising”. The Survivors were escorted by other Harley riders to Netcare, where they were handed the almost 800 bra's that were collected over a relatively short period of time. These bra's will now be distributed to less fortunate women who can’t always afford the proper support. Shimmy’s big promotional bra that is being used to advertise the Hoezit my Bra! show also made an appearance and had the traffic moving very slow. Everyone is still wondering where the woman is that can fill up that tremendous cup size!!

After the handover of the bra's everyone moved to the GVI Oncology clinic for what can only be explained as crazy fun and laughter, for the first part of the proceedings, at least. Not scared off by the miserable weather, lots of locals showed up for the much advertised high heel race and even the SABC News crew couldn’t resist to see what will happen at this sure spectacle! Even some men braved the cold and wet weather (and the possibility of scarring their egos for life) to come and the run the 50m in high heels. But the current mister

South Africa

, Denver Burns took this race very seriously and decided to strip down to only a Speedo that looks like the South African flag. He decided to run the race with our Survivors (unfortunately for some of the male onlookers they decided to stay dressed!), but alas, Frieda literally made mincemeat of him and her other contenders. She won by a long shot, showing them the back of her heels at the finish line!

After the fun and games in the parking lot the Journey girls went to the chemo and radiology rooms to talk to the cancer patients and encourage them on their own Journey. This was an emotional experience for a lot of the patients and the survivors - memories of their own treatment and heartache flared up again as soon as they saw the vulnerable people with needles in their arms and looks of despair on their faces. To lighten things up a bit the organisers of this event decided to let Shimmy perform in the chemo room. The recognition and understanding was tangible - this moment will definately be remembered by all who attended.

Another breast cancer survivor, Rhodes student Christin Page, drove all the way to PE to come and share her story. Her double mastectomy at the age of 18 was moving and heartrendering, but at the same time a big inspiration and story of hope. Her awereness of her own body saved her life, and now she can help to educate others. Welldone girl, you made us proud!

It was a draining day, but still not over! They saddled up and took off to Storms River where two pink cadillacs and singing women welcomed them to the village. The Cadillac Shack was the venue of choice for the last event for the evening.

Soaking wet and tired, but full of spirit the girls retired for the night. We'll keep you posted on the blog as to what happened today!

High on emotion

2010-10-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

At the start of every day no one is exactly sure what to expect at the next destination, school or community centre where the survivors go for their next awe inspiring talk, but no one could have forseen this: Day 4. Heartbraking, heartrendering, uplifting, unimaginably great stuff - far beyond anyone's expectation.

At the Midross Community Hall in Middelburg everybody, survivors and crew alike, were moved to tears as soon as they entered the hall. Masses of locals, all dressed in pink, welcomed them with songs of praise and worship, lead by the dynamic Pastor Anna Plaatjes with her pink butterfly wings! They were envolved and very receptive from the moment Shimmy opened her mouth for her Hoezit my Bra! show up until the last notes of the Journey of Hope song at the very end.

After the event the ladies mingled with the crowd, who couldn't get enough of the fancy Harleys, and of course, the wonderful women who ride these impressive bikes. The women use these precious moments not only to interact but also to further eduacte the people that come to listen to their message of hope.

High on emotion the girls took to the road again for a stopover in Cradock where they were treated by a lovely lunch. Shimmy did her second show of the day whereafter Sanette told her incredible story of survival and perseverence to the women in the audience. Not only food for the empty stomaches in this small town in the Eastern Cape, but definately also food for thought.

Even some of the local street musicians couldn't resist to also make an impression on the women who attended the event!

To ride on a bike through this part of our country is nothing less than magical and breathtaking. But the wealth of beauty of the Eastern Cape was in sharp contrast to what they experienced next: The local community of Paterson.

But, yet again, the warm and welcoming community brought tears to everyone's eyes. They may be poor, but they were amazing.

After a very emotional day the survivors retreated to Bushman Sands Lodge in Alicedale for some much needed rest and quiet time.

A big thank you to everyone who made this day so very special.Whitout the magnificent people in South Africa this Journey would be fruitless. But so far,so very good!

Please read our blog for previous adventures and adversities on this Journey of Hope.

The beautiful Karoo and beyond

2010-10-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Karoo is undeniably one of the most beautiful parts of our country, and our brave ladies experienced this magical place from the seats of their Harleys today.

But first six schools in the vicinity of Bloemfontein had to be visited by different groups of the team to educate young people about the dangers of breast cancer, and what they should be aware of at all times. One of our main Mama's, Adel du Plessis from Revlon, was in Eunice School for Girls from Grade 1 to Matric, and that was one of the obvious choices to go and engage with young women. Everyone gathered there before departing to St Michael's, Oranje Meisies, Tsotoletso High School, Leagae Intermediate and Atang Primary School.

At Eunice High Scool our lady from Philidelphia in the USA, Olade and local celeb Janie du Plessis had the adoring crowd in the palm of their hands with their inspiring stories, and of course the funny girl Shimmy had them crying with laughter from the word go. At all the other schools the reception was just as warm and welcoming and everyone agreed that the message was appropriately conveyed to the young women of Bloemfontein.

Passing through Springfontein and Colesberg the final stop for the day was in Middelburg in the Eastern Cape. The final event for the day was at the Rolfe laboratories and yet again words are not enough to describe the different emotions everyone experienced when Shimmy did her thing and Carina told her story of survival to the appreciative women of the laboratory. Much laughter and tears and also the compulsory educational information was at the order of the day. One of our tiny and sexy survivors, the 26 year old Claudia, showed the women exactly how to do a breast examination, and we can only hope and pray that they took the message to heart.

Everyone was hoping and praying for an early night, but alas. The Middelburg Country Inn had a Keg just around the corner. And, to many Middelburgers discontent we think, the Keg was equiped with a kareoke machine! The girls sang and danced their hearts out, tiredness forgotten. They are all brave women,but we can without doubt declare that not all of them are going to break CD sales very soon! Some of the nosy locals joined in the fun, and at the end of the day our brave ladies made an impression yet again. Nothing will stop them from living life to the fullest and having fun. Even if it means making a fool out of yourself whilst trying to sing an ABBA song.

Tomorrow, destination Paterson and Alicedale, with lots of kilometres, laughter and tears in between.

Read our blog for more adventurous from the previous days.

Day 2 - Dust in the wind!

2010-10-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

What a hectic day for all the survivors on the Harleys! After an early departure from Appin Swinburne where the generous community entertained everyone until the wee hours of the morning, the girls made a brief stop in Harrismith for breakfast.

From there they proceeded to small community Kgubetswana in Clarens. The scenery in the beautiful Eastern Free State set the mood for Shimmy who gave another amazing performance in her Hoezit my bra! show and yet again the message of early detection was given to a very receptive audience.

When it was time for lunch, the whole group split up into smaller groups where 10 different restaurants in Clarens treated the girls (and the odd boy!) to a magnificent meal.

At this stage the riders got the word that the wind was going to knock their socks off if they don't drive carefully. And indeed, strongs winds, dust,smoke and potholes made the stretch to Ladybrand a very difficult ride indeed.

Things calmed down a bit after a brief stopover in Lady Brand,but it heated up again when they entered Bloemfontein. And what a rush that was! Loads of other Harley drivers joined the Journey of Hope team along with what seemed like the whole traffic department of Mangaung! They escorted the riders all the way to the Waterfront in Bloemfontein, stopping all the other traffic for the guests of honour! You could actually feel the vibration on the road!

And of course, there they received another warm welcome by members of the Free State capital.

Primi Piati was the restaurant of choice for supper whereafter the girls retreated to Bains Game Lodge for the night.

Tomorrow they head for Middelburg, but first, lots of work to do in schools in Bloem. Sleep tight ladies!

Day 1 - Off with a Rrrrrrrrroarrrrrr!!

2010-10-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

All the hard work has accumalated to this day, the 9th of October 2010 - The start of the third Journey of Hope! After a good night's rest at the Protea Hotel in Durban, the girls started their week long joy ride at Ushaka Marine World.

They were greeted by a wonderful group of Zulu dancers upon their arrival, and the very talented Sing it Sista! perfomed a couple of great songs in homage of all the Survivors. Lots of Durbanites showed up to send the girls on their merry way, as well as twenty other Harley riders from the vacinity. The acclaimed actress, Lillian Dube, told her story to the adoring crowd who laughed at all her heart rendering quirps.

After a short drive the girls had a niceWimpy lunch where some of them got a relaxing massage from Charlene,who is not only one of the Journey photographers, but also the in-house masseuse!

En route to Swinburne where the ladies spent the evening relaxing with some of the locals who came to watch Shimmy Isaacs' Hoezit my Bra! and eating some 'lekker' potjiekos, they made a brief stop in Swinburne, Van Reenen.

This little farming community made all the Suvivors and onlookers cry. Loads of local kids, dressed in pink, did their own version of traditional Zulu dancing whilst welcoming the Survivors entering the little town. Not only where the kids appropriately dressed for the party, local dynamo Elsa van Reenen painted her poor horse, Fugly and the beautiful Great Dane Daisy, pink for the occasion!!

The girls got all emotional when they mingled with the special people of this amazing little town where the message of early detection and hope was given to the local women by Nelly and Linah in Zulu. And this is what this journey is all about - to inform everyone about the dangers and myths about breast cancer!!!

Let's spread the message! And join us tomorrow for day 2!!

Tomorrow we roll!

2010-10-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

The last two days the team of Journey of Hope gathered from all across the country (and even Australia and the US!!) for the beginning of the journey across South Africa.

Yesterday some of the members met up at Kempton Park to pick up some of the vehicles that will accompany the ladies on the Harleys, and as you can see, no one passing these Mazdas (generously sponsored by Porters Auto) on the road will be able to miss them!

Later the evening all the Survivors and team members gathered in Pretoria for a wine launch and some entertainment provided by the beautiful Myra Maud (from the hit music production, AfriFrans). She was joined on stage by one our famous Survivors, Elise Fernandez, who was Halle Berry's body double in her latest movie.

This morning everyone departed from Johannesburg to eventually meet up in Pietermaritzburg where the amazing people from Meadow Feeds welcomed them with a warm reception and fabulous lunch. This company managed to raise an astounding amount of money for the Revlon Journey of Hope, and we are holding thumbs that many more companies will through their weight behind this project. We salute you, Meadow Feeds!

Tomorrow is the official start of the Journey. Please be on the lookout for the ladies on the Harleys, the pink Mazdas and lots of love, hope and encouragement! Come and support us on the road, and help to spread the message that early detectionof breast cancer can save lives!

Come have a look tomorrow night to see what the girls have done on their first day of the Journey of Hope!And please tell your friends to come and have a look at our site, all the action will be happening here!

Let's Rock and Roll!!

Win a Garden Route break-away for two!

2010-09-16T03:04:00.000-07:00

sms HOPE to 36012

and stand a chance to win a Garden Route break-away for two!
terms & conditions apply

The package includes:

Two nights’ Accommodation in the Magical 3 star Protea Hotel Tsitsikamma. Include Breakfast and Dinner.

Return flights with 1Time Airlines.

Car Rental from Avis Rent a Car.

Stormsriver Adventures Tree top canopy tour.

Competition Terms & Conditions:

The closing date for this SMS competition is 31 October 2010. Each SMS costs R5 incl VAT.
Free minutes do not apply. Winner will be selected by random draw. The winner will be notified by telephone or SMS. The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The prize is not transferable and may not be converted into cash. Staff members of Journey of Hope, the competition sponsors are not legible for the prize.
1Time Vouchers are valid from 31 October 2010 and will expire on 28 February 2011. Airport & Admin fees are not included.
Avis Voucher is valid from 31 October 2010 and will expire on 30 April 2011. It does not include fuel, personal accident insurance, excess, contract fee or any other additional charges and this will be for the prize winner’s account.
Entry implies acceptance of these rules.

Here they are! This year's Journey of Hope team.

2010-08-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

Beatrix de Villiers – Team Member, Theresa Engelbrecht – Team Member, Elise Fernandez – Team Member and Annelie Saker – Team Member

2010-08-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

Adele du Plessis – Communications Executive REVLON SA (Première Sponsor) with various team members

2010-08-18T05:08:00.001-07:00

Living Life to the full!

2010-08-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Frieda Henning – CEO Journey of Hope, Vera Moir - Team Member, Aileen Taylor – Director of Journey of Hope, Theresa Engelbrecht – Team Member, Annelie Saker – Team Member and Lillian Dube – Team Member and 2 years survivor

2010-08-18T05:01:00.001-07:00

Shimmy Isaacs with the magnificent bra that will form the backdrop to the JOH Play “Howzit my Bra!” and the exuberant team members behind her.

2010-08-18T04:58:00.001-07:00

Shimmy, Adele and Marc with members of the inspirational JOH Team

2010-08-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

Back row from left to right: Elize Fenandez – Team Member, Beatrix de Villiers – Team Member, Frieda Henning – CEO Journey of Hope, Theresa Engelbrecht – Team Member, Adri van Nieuwenhuizen - Team Member, Vera Moir - Team Member, Annelie Saker – Team Member,
Front row: Lillian Dube – Team Member, Aileen Taylor – Director of Journey of Hope and Linah Sibeko – Team Member

2010-08-18T04:51:00.001-07:00

Frieda Henning – CEO Journey of Hope, Adele du Plessis – Communications Executive REVLON SA (Première Sponsor) and Aileen Taylor – Director of Journey of Hope

2010-08-18T04:49:00.001-07:00

Aileen Taylor – Director of Journey of Hope, Petto Ferreira – Road Captain, Marc Marais – Dealer Principle Tygervalley Harley Davidson and Frieda Henning – CEO Journey of Hope

2010-08-18T04:46:00.001-07:00

Frieda Henning – CEO Journey of Hope, Shimmy Isaacs – Actress & Comedian and Aileen Taylor – Director of Journey of Hope

2010-08-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

Frieda Henning – CEO Journey of Hope, Elize Fenandez – Team Member, Aileen Taylor – Director of Journey of Hope and Linah Sibeko – Team Member

Media launch - 16 August 2010

2010-08-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

What an unforgettable day. The launch was a huge, huge success. It was so good to see the riders and everybody involved with this project again - organisers, make-up artists, stylists, sponsors, journalists, technicians and everyone else who were willing to help out and who want to be part of this amazing adventure. Such a priviledge to be part of the Journey of Hope. Very emotional day. Thank you Adele du Plessis and Elri Mans for your passion, hard work and inspiration. Congratulations to the team of BrandsRock, who pulled of an amazing launch. Well done Shimmy Isaacs, your performance was brilliant. There's no doubt that this year's Revlon Journey of Hope is going to be bigger than ever. Yay! Looking forward, can't wait for the ride.