This is Franke Kitchen Systems’ story:
To live healthy is an option for each and every one, and the opposite is also true I suppose but somewhat foolish.It took the loss of my best friend to cancer to realise that it is a huge privilege to be alive and well these days. Yes, I had to dig very deep to find a solution that would start to address this problem of an unhealthy lifestyle.
The Amashova was an experiment with participants from semi-professionals to absolute novices all sharing the same idea – live better and hopefully longer. The staff bought bikes, they bought bikes for their wives and children and we all did it under the Franke brand with customers.
After the success of Franke’s participation in Amashova 2013, there was no hesitation in the decision to do it all again in 2014 as part of our centenary in Africa celebration. This year we hosted 85 cyclists vs the 26 participants under the Franke flag in 2013
It was decided, after so much interest in last year’s festivities; why not use this event and Franke’s broad client and supplier list to make a difference. It is with this in mind that the sponsorship concept came to fruition. The months leading up to Amashova 2014 were spent securing 10 of Franke’s most valuable suppliers as co-sponsors for the event.
The sponsorships allowed us to donate R20 000 towards The Highway Hospice. We thank our sponsors for their kind gesture to support us in promoting a healthy lifestyle and assisting those in need.
This is Schalk’s story:
I have been married to Teresa since 1972 and both of us lived a very healthy lifestyle, conscious about our diets and so forth.In June 2014, Teresa went for a colonoscopy and they found some growth in her pancreas. After consultation with the specialist, it was agreed to remove a section of the colon to prevent any risk of cancer.
As such, a large section of the colon was removed and Teresa was sent home to recover. About 6 days later, she experienced terrible pains and started to vomit and an emergency operation was carried out. It turned out that that the joint leaked resulting in sepsis.
A few days later, the doctors discovered that the joint was still leaking and an external drain was fitted to prevent any further infection. Both our children flew in from Canada and New Zealand and then I decided to make a pact with Teresa:
I took a rose, counted every leaf on her chest and went through our life since we met in 1968 and when there was one leaf left I said to her, “Teresa , if you agree to put up a fight to recover, I shall do the Amashova 106km race but you must promise me to be there at the finish line.“ She agreed, we hugged, we cried and two journeys started focused on recovering and exercise.
Teresa left the hospital a few weeks later and recovered and on the 12th October 2014, I crossed the finish line after a grueling 4 hrs and 9 minutes. And there she was with the yellow ribbon “I love you.“
We never gave up. As long as there is a God , there is hope.
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