ROAD RUNNING
Female ‘ Triple Greens ’
Finishing her 30 th Comrades in style
The oncology department would phone me when the planning and scanning would take place , as they needed to wait for the scars to heal . In the meantime , I started running again and promised myself that in order to remain sane , I would run every day . This was my meditation time . ‘ Dr Google ’ also became my friend and I read up as much as I could on radiation , which is done to get rid of any malignant cells remaining after surgery . Not pleasant reading !
Meanwhile , Clive had come to the conclusion that it would be better if he died before me , as he said he could not cope without me . I joked and said I quite agreed , as I would like to have his life assurance money . Seriously , though , I knew that whatever life had thrown at me , I now needed to fight a good fight . He was obviously very stressed about my situation , and on 12 July his heart went into fibrillation . After seeing his GP , he was sent to a heart specialist , who admitted him to hospital , where he had to stay overnight to be stabilised . The same day I received a call to say my “ planning and scanning ” was booked , so stress levels were now at an all-time high . I packed Clive a bag and delivered it to the hospital , and that night I took a sleeping pill and slept alone in my half of the bed . I hadn ’ t slept alone for years .
Tilda and Clive today
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ISSUE 135 NOVEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za
Tilda remains a popular figure on the road
Topless on the Slab
The next day Clive was stable and discharged . He was put on medication and told it was probably brought on by stress . Up to now , all is well with him . ( So no life assurance money yet !) I duly went for my planning and scanning , and had four dots tattooed on my chest . These dots apparently help the radiotherapists when they do the radiation , and they stay with you forever . I do have other tattoos , but these were very unwelcome dots ! I also had other scans and a PET scan , which was not pleasant . I was then told I would be contacted for the first radiation session .
A week later I was back lying topless on the radiation “ slab .” The radiotherapists proceeded to draw all over my chest with a semi-permanent purple ink marker , and if you are an art fundi , you will understand when I say that I looked just like a painting by Miro . I was told not to wash the ink off , because radiation does not like water . Showers were now out of the question , and I had to bath .
I arranged to go for radiation during my lunch hour , because I was lucky that the hospital I went to was just a quick drive away . But for 20 days I had to answer the COVID questions , get my temperature taken and then get a “ screened ” sticker before I was allowed into the hospital . At the start of my radiation , I decided that I would share some of my experiences on Facebook , and I likened the treatment to running an ‘ Up ’ Comrades . I had to keep my sense of humour !
Every day I lay topless on the “ slab ” while the radiotherapists positioned me and radiated my left boob . I just lay there , closed my eyes and thought of England . Dr Google said I may feel fatigued or nauseas , which I didn ’ t , but I did suffer from sleeplessness . Throughout the treatment , I ran 5km to 8km a day . The radiotherapists often had to “ colour me in ” again , as I sweated off their drawings . After about 14 radiation treatments , I did develop radiation rash . This was really uncomfortable , and I was grumpy – I felt like an old bitch with mange . Unfortunately , there is not much you can do about it while you are still undergoing treatment .
Finally , on 19 August , I had the last radiation session . I skipped out of that hospital after bidding the
This select group of five women have completed the Comrades Marathon 30 or more times . ( The figure in brackets is the year that they ran their 30 th ). 34 medals Kleintjie van Schalkwyk ( 2014 ) 31 medals Patricia Fisher ( 2018 ) 30 medals Tilda Tearle ( 2017 ) 30 medals Kim Pain ( 2019 ) 30 medals Pat Freeman ( 2019 )
After completing her 30 th in 2017 , Tilda says she and husband Clive went to visit her mother in Pietermaritzburg , and her mom had a surprise request . “ She asked me to put my hand on her Bible and swear that I wouldn ’ t do Comrades again ! I said 30 Comrades is really enough for me … but if I am in one piece , I would like to run in 2020 , as a 60-year-old , and then again in 2025 , when it will be the 100th running of Comrades . If I am still able to qualify in 2025 , I will be at the start . All I can say is that Comrades is not for sissies . It is ******* hard , and don ’ t let anyone tell you otherwise , but is it absolutely worth it !
Receiving her Triple Green from Comrades legends Bruce Fordyce and Alan Robb
radiotherapists farewell , telling them I hope never to see them again , except in the street . I also visited the oncologist , who prescribed cortisone for the rash , and I was advised that visiting her would be ongoing for a few years .
Finding the Words
As I am writing this article , I still cannot say , “ I ’ ve had breast cancer .” The words just will not come out . Instead , I say that I have had a malignant lump removed . What I can say is , in the words of Agatha Christie : “ I like living . I have sometimes been wildly , despairingly , acutely miserable , racked with sorrow , but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing .”
Recently , my mother forwarded a Whatsapp sent to her by the gardener who worked in her complex many years ago . It said , “ I ’ m sorry the Springbok has breast cancer .” I nearly had a fit . I said , you tell him the Springbok is still springing ! I don ’ t know what the future holds , but neither does anyone else . I would still like to do that tandem parachute jump , and I still want to run one more Comrades … even if I am 62 when that happens .
Images : Action Photo SA & Courtesy Tilda Tearle