Thank you for visiting our Race for Life fundraising page. Those of you who know us will know that running is not an activity of choice for any of us... So you will understand how strongly we feel about this cause! 

UPDATE - 17 JULY 2007

Well, the big race day came and went.  We came, we saw, we ran - and we can still walk unaided!  Sadly, Iliana could not run as her doctor had banned her from physical exercise earlier that week, but as you can see on the left, Lisa, Olwen and I turned up bright-eyed and bushy tailed!  The race went very well with Olwen finishing in just under 35 mins and Lisa and I in a more sedate 40 minutes.  You can read more about it here: http://www.cooksister.com/2007/07/been-there-run-.html

THANK YOU so much to all our generous sponsors, as well as to Nick and Darren who gamely showed up, took photos and guarded our bags while we ran.  It was a fantastic experience and we'll be back next year!

OUR STORY

In December 2005, a mutual friend of ours passed away from cervical cancer, just a few months short of her 30th birthday.  And the sad part is that she is only one of a number if people that we know whose lives have been touched by this disease. 

Jeanne writes:

"Cancer had, for me, always been something that affected other people, but all that changed in 1999 when my beloved sister-in-law Paola’s dad passed away from lung cancer. In 2000, one of my best friends Bronwyn lost her dad to cancer at the ridiculously young age of 58. In 2003 my half-sister Lucille died (also in her 50s) from an inoperable and particularly virulent brain tumour, leaving behind two children still at school. And in 2004 my life-long friend Andrea lost her mom to cancer. Still, all of these people were far older than I was and somehow I could still feel "safe" in my youth, but that was all set to change.

In 2003 Francois, a young friend of mine whom I had lectured at Technikon was diagnosed with testicular cancer, not yet aged 30. In the same year Jason, an old university friend, was operated on to remove a brain tumour and in 2005 an ex-housemate Lizel underwent surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer. Thankfully, they are all survivors who faced down the disease and are now cancer-free. But also in 2005, my beautiful friend Christelle was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer. Despite her heroic battle and enduring months of treatment and pain she passed away in December 2005, a week before Christmas and still three months shy of her 30th birthday.  Last year I ran to celebrate Christelle’s short but beautiful life.

This month, I found out that Paola’s sister Gail has breast cancer and she has subsequently had a mastectomy. She will start chemotherapy on 21 May.  Gail who always has time for those in need, Gail in whose beach house I have spent many happy holidays, Gail at whose table I have celebrated a number of Christmases. So above all, Lisa and I will be racing for Gail this year, and I can guarantee you that my T-shirt will say ‘I Race for Life for Gail - a survivor’."

Iliana writes: