Cape Town - Hundreds of supporters and donors of Wheel to Heal filled the Ghousia Manzil Hall in Rylands as the organisation proudly handed over cheques to three beneficiaries after having raised funds by cycling from Mossel Bay to Cape Town.
Wheel to Heal comprises 33 cyclists, including a hand cyclist, who set off for Mossel Bay on December 3 by bus and cycled from there back to Cape Town on December 4, a journey that would take nine days of cycling through Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, Ladismith, Barrydale, Montagu, Worcester, Wellington and Paarl.
As most of the men had lost a loved one to cancer or multiple sclerosis, the beneficiaries identified included Multiple Sclerosis SA, Groote Schuur Hospital Oncology Department, and PinkDrive.
The cyclists called on the public to support their efforts by sponsoring a cyclist per kilometre, or donating any amount possible. The group also received 400 food hampers for distribution in rural areas.
Formally launched on September 26 last year, the organisation managed to raise a whopping R1.7 million thanks to sponsors and donors.
Multiple Sclerosis SA director and chairperson Non Helena Smit received an enlarged cheque for R250 000.
Smit said: “My reason for doing what I’m doing so passionately is because we had a person with MS in our family many years ago and the biggest problem was early detection, diagnosis and treatment. I am very grateful to say that we are definitely going to use some of these funds to further the detection of MS in government hospitals.”
PinkDrive founder and director Noelene Kotschan received a cheque for R450 000. Kotschan said PinkDrive’s main objective was to raise awareness for breast, cervical, prostate and testicular cancer, and to encourage prevention.
Jeannette Parkes, professor and head of the oncology department at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town, accepted a R1 million cheque.
Parkes said the funds would go towards the development of a new chemotherapy room at the hospital’s outpatients department.
“Currently, we have three small chemotherapy rooms which, workflow-wise, we’ve grown out of. It’s become very cramped, lack of air, lack of natural light, so we’ve been looking for a new space which we’ve identified within the department but it requires quite a lot of infrastructural change to make it into a chemotherapy room, so this money will go towards this project. It’s a major project which will happen during the course of this year.”
The hospital sees about 3 000 new cancer patients annually, with the number increasing each year, with 30 000 follow-ups.
Wheel to Heal founder Dr Elias Parker thanked the sponsors, which included Africa Muslims Agency, among others, for their generosity and announced that the initiative would continue this year, calling on attendees to keep an eye out for 2023 cycling dates.