Annelie Saker Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Amazon Heart Thunder Australia 2009 and United States 2009 Experienced Rider Click Here to Donate Now!

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.

One Saturday evening late in July 2006, I was relaxing in a bubble bath before a night out with dear friends.  When I felt the lump under my left breast I knew that my perfect life would never be the same again.

My husband, Paul, and I lived through a fearful weekend. By 1 August a tissue biopsy confirmed that I had breast cancer.  I consulted three surgeons to enable me to make an informed decision and underwent a drastic mastectomy on 7 August - a day after my younger son, Nic’s, 16th birthday party.

Little did I know that my struggle for survival had only just begun!  Six months of chemotherapy followed.  It was hard, but I did it. I just wanted to get well.  A month after my treatment ended, in April 2007, my worst nightmare came true.  I found two new lumps on my chest wall.  I was devastated!  We found out that the cancer was HER2+.  The struggle was not over yet.  I had a lumpectomy, six more months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  My hair fell out, my eyelashes disappeared and I drew pencil lines for eyebrows.  I had a selection of wigs – I could choose to be a brunette, a naughty redhead or a blonde temptress.  My fabulous friends laughed and cried with me.  They carried me through days of despair, sat through bleak chemo sessions with me, cooked for my family and prayed for me.  My mother held my hand every step of the way.  My husband and the boys sustained and comforted me through every seemingly hopeless day.  It wasn’t easy to stay positive and focused, but they made me do it.  My survival is a testimony to their love.

 I received a Herceptin drip every three weeks. I thought we had beaten the cancer. My life was taken up with The Journey of Hope, a South African Breast Cancer Awareness Ride, which took place in October 2008. I had to learn to ride a motorcycle and spent many hours fundraising.  What a wonderful ride it was! Sponsored by Harley-Davidson and stretching over 2000 kilometres from Johannesburg to Cape Town, it really changed my life. Our team of 12 fabulous women, all breast cancer survivors, was fabulous.  Through my efforts and business contacts we managed to get some big sponsors on board who gave us R700 000-00! I was very proud of myself.

Alas, during the ride, I ironically discovered a lump on my sternum.  On my return to Johannesburg I had it checked out and the PET scan showed 11 fast growing lumps, including a huge lump in my left hilar node, ready to pounce into my lung. Needless to say, I was devastated!  This meant that Herceptin didn’t work for me.

Since then I have undergone some very expensive treatment, not covered by our medical aid  - a course of stereotactic radiation in Milan, Italy,  in January (not yet available in South Africa),  daily Lapatinib tablets at R33 000-00 per month (not yet available in South Africa) and regular chemotherapy (Cisplatin and Gemzar).   My chemo will end shortly before the Oz ride. Hopefully I wouldn’t have bankrupted the Saker household by then …

This time round it was much harder coming to terms with my breast cancer. I’m a fighter, though.  And I won’t give up. 

The good news is that breast cancer can be beaten.  With early detection, there is hope for every woman out there.  I am now living my life in a different way.  My priorities have changed.  I’m still a party animal, but now I dance my survival dance to a different song.  I am kinder to myself and to other people.  Every single day is a privilege and not a right.  I look at the world with new eyes and I don’t take anything for granted anymore.  I celebrate life every single day.

Lance Armstrong’s story of his struggle against cancer is recounted in his book “It’s not about the Bike”.  In this instance, I beg to differ!  It’s all about the bike and the impact of survivors riding to educate and to spread hope. 

I am so excited to take part in this incredible ride from Melbourne to Sydney with a team of brave women.  Let’s rev up those engines, girls and give it stick!

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