Wheel to Heal is a cycle tour with a difference. It covers a spectacular route of 620 km from Mossel Bay to Cape Town from 3 to 11 December to raise funds for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS).
The event features 33 cyclists who, over the past few months, have subjected themselves to a gruelling regime of training in preparation for the journey through Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, Ladismith, Barrydale, Montagu, Worcester and Paarl. En route they will distribute food hampers to the poor and needy in the various towns as part of their drive to create awareness of cancer and MS.
“One of the key messages of our campaign is to prioritise early detection,” says Dr Elias Parker, convenor of the event. This intervention is important because it helps to significantly reduce the threat to life, and improves the chances of a better quality of life.
Parker referenced data from the National Cancer Registry (NCR), which estimates that in 2020 almost 110 000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in South Africa, with more than 56 000 cancer-related deaths, representing a quarter of premature non-communicable disease-related mortality.
According to the registry South Africa’s incidence rate of 22,5 cases per 100 000 women for cervical cancer is well above the global rate of 15,8 per 100 000. Women in rural areas are more affected than those in urban areas. The mortality rates in rural areas are higher due to a lack of health education and proper health services.
The inspiration for Wheel to Heal is Dr Elias Parker’s late wife, Mariam, who succumbed to cancer in July 2018 after a two-year battle with the disease. Honouring the memory of his wife, he reached out not only to cyclists, but also to others who had survived cancer and the broader community.
One such survivor of cancer is retired Judge Siraj Desai, keynote speaker at the media launch on 26 September. Having also lost his wife to cancer in March 2018, he stressed the need for early detection and education regarding treatment and living with the disease.
Desai said as citizens living in the most unequal society on earth, South Africans had a responsibility to reach out to the poorest to assist in the encounter with cancer.
“It is not only about the money, but also an advanced consciousness of cancer and multiple sclerosis,” he concluded.
Parker said all the funds raised will be donated to key beneficiaries the Oncology Department at Groote Schuur Hospital and Pink Drive.
Anyone wishing to support this drive for cancer diagnosis and treatment may make direct deposits into the Wheel to Heal bank account at Albaraka Bank, current account number 786000320395.
