JMC on the Road, with Stories of Courage Along the Way (Day 2 and 3 of 7)

Day 2 | Bravery & Strength

The second day of the JMC Seven7 Drive started with the team leaving Polokwane and continuing the road ahead, with another long stretch of road ahead of them.

The destination was Kimberley, where the team would spend the night before continuing their journey. Along the way, 11 care packages were left for the hospital, adding another small but meaningful contribution to the reason behind the drive in the first place: making sure children and families affected by cancer know they are not forgotten.

But somewhere along that stretch of road, the journey became a little brighter.

The team met 14-year-old Nita and her mother Suné. Nita’s story was one the team had already heard about before meeting her. Her diagnosis had made headlines and was featured in newspapers and Huisgenoot after she was diagnosed with uterine cancer at just 11 years old.

For a child that young, the diagnosis meant facing something no child should have to face. Nita eventually underwent a hysterectomy as part of her treatment.

Today, she is 14, and importantly, her story has a happy ending.

Meeting Nita in person gave the team a very different perspective on the stories they had been hearing throughout the Seven7 Drive. Behind the headlines and hospital visits are young people like Nita, and families who have had to navigate an incredibly difficult road with them.

Her mother was there alongside her, as she had been throughout the journey, and the meeting became one of the moments that stayed with the team long after they got back into the vehicles.

The road itself was still a major part of the day. The team continued north, covering the kilometres between stops before arriving in Thabazimbi for the night.

By then, another day of the Seven7 Drive was behind them. Another hospital had been supported, more care packages had been delivered, and another story had been added to a journey that was quickly becoming about far more than the kilometres on the road.

Nita’s story was a reminder of that. Sometimes, the most powerful part of a long journey is the person you meet along the way.

The team would be back on the road the following day, continuing the Seven7 Drive and its mission to support children and families affected by cancer across South Africa.

Day 3 | early, wet and a little uncertain.

The Seven7 Drive team left Kimberley at 5am, with Cape Town still a long way away. It was going to be a full day on the road, and the rain was not exactly making things easier.

But that was becoming part of the journey. The further the team travelled, the more they found themselves on roads less travelled, with closed routes and diversions forcing them to find another way forward. There was plenty of mud, a few moments of uncertainty and, somewhere along the way, plenty of laughter too.

It was a reminder that this drive was never simply about getting from one destination to the next. Every kilometre came with its own challenge.

After hours on the road, the team finally arrived in Cape Town just after 9pm.

But there was still one important stop to make.

The following visit took the Seven7 Drive team to Tygerberg Children’s Hospital, where they delivered 20 care packages to children receiving cancer treatment.

For the team, Tygerberg was a particularly significant stop. It was the first hospital on the journey that really brought home the difference between private and public healthcare, and the reality of what many families experience when their children need long-term medical care.

There was also something unexpectedly special about the hospital itself.

A little tiger mascot could be found throughout the ward, a small symbol of strength and something familiar for the children. It might seem like a simple thing, but in a place where children are facing something as difficult as cancer, having something of their own to smile at can mean more than you might think.

The team also had the privilege of meeting some of the doctors, nurses and medical staff who dedicate their days to caring for these young patients.

Their work often happens quietly, behind hospital doors, but it is the kind of work that makes this journey possible.

Day three was a long one. It meant an early start, hours behind the wheel, difficult roads and arriving late at night. But somewhere between the rain, the mud, the closed roads and the kilometres, the reason for the journey remained clear.

There were still more children to reach.

And the road ahead was calling.