Lizelle Gribble Knott (Riebeek Old Girl, Class of 1998) visited Riebeek today for Eleanor House Day.  Miss Hattingh and Mrs Stevens co-ordinated fund-raising for Cancervive – the inter-class tin collection raised over R7000 and the Eleanor fund-raising raised more than R5000.  Miss Arthur and Mrs du Plessis were proud of their classes as each member of the class will receive a Revlon gift valued at R200 for being the classes to bring in the most money.  Lizelle’s story is told here in her own words:
I  am  a  wife,  a  mom,  a lymphoma survivor and a breast cancer warrior!
 I was  born  in  Port  Elizabeth, attended  Riebeek College  Girls’  High  School  in  Uitenhage and completed  my National  Diploma:    Cost  and  Management  Accounting  at  NMMU.    I  own  a  small  couture  wedding  and  party  invitation  and  stationery business and spend my afternoons with my little boy.
 In  2004  my then fiancé  and  I  relocated  to  East  London  to  pursue  a  career  opportunity  that  he  was  presented with.    On  7  January  2006  (11 years  ago!!!)  I  married  my  love,  Warren.    And  on  30  November  2012  we  were blessed  with  the  most  amazing  gift  of  all,  our  ray  of  sunshine  and  my  motivation  to  persevere,  a  little  boy  who we named Grayson.  We currently reside in Somerset West.
  I  love  being  a  wife  and  a  mom,  I  love  being  creative,  I  love  travelling  and  experiencing  new  cultures,  I  love cooking,  baking  and  entertaining,  I  love  spoiling  my  boys  and  doing  special  things  for  others!
 In  December  1996,  at  the  age  of  16  I  was  diagnosed  with  Non-Hodgkin’s  B-Cell  Lymphoma  in  my  chest  cavity.    I underwent  surgery,  radiation  and  10  rounds  of  chemo.    In  October  1997  I  was  declared  in  remission  and believed  I  had  said  good-bye  to  cancer  forever.
 But,  on  29  January  2014  my  world  was  rocked  by  another  cancer  diagnosis.    At  the  age  of  33  I  was  diagnosed with  Stage  II  Breast  Cancer  in  my  right  breast.    I  underwent  a  unilateral  mastectomy  and  immediate reconstruction.    I  also  had  six  rounds  of  TC  chemo  and  managed  to  save  my  hair  using Cold Caps. I continue to take daily medication in order to keep the cancer at bay.
 I am a team member of a  national  cancer  charity  called  Cancervive.
 Cancervive is a group of cancer survivors, mostly women, who aim to raise awareness of the importance of early detection and educate people about the signs and symptoms of cancer.  They also provide hope to newly diagnosed patients and connect them with survivors who can support them.  Every  year  they  do  a  motorbike  ride  through parts  of  South  Africa spreading Cancer awareness and this year we will be touring through parts of Gauteng, the Eastern Free State and the Northern Cape.
 In 2016 I was included  in  a  Foschini  campaign  called  Courage  to  Conquer  for breast cancer awareness month.  The  campaign told the  stories  of  breast  cancer  patients  and  survivors  and  created much  needed awareness  about  the  disease.
 I was also a semi-finalist in the 2016 Mrs South Africa competition.  My  reason  for  entering  the  competition  was  simple:    I  wanted to  share my story  with  as  many  people  as  possible!    I  believed  the  pageant  would  provide  me  with  the  platform  to  do  so.   Even  though  I  wasn’t  named  a  Top25  finalist,  so  many  doors  have opened  for  me  and  I  have  been  given awesome  opportunities  to  touch  lives.
 My story about using Cold Caps to save my hair has been published in Longevity and Your family magazines. And I assist other cancer patients who wish to try them too.
 I want  to  inspire  people.    I  want  someone  going  through  a  similar  journey  as  I  did  to  look  at  me  and  say:   “Because  of  you  I  didn’t  give  up”.
 I want  to  encourage  woman  who  have  been  diagnosed  with  cancer  to  realise  that  regardless  of  the  scars,  or  the hair  loss,  or  how  sick  they  may  feel,  they  are  still  beautiful.    They’re  still  a  woman,  a  wife,  a  mother.    And  that they  were  given  this  life  because  they  are  STRONG  enough  to  live  it!
 My mantra is:  "Attitude  is  the  difference  between  an  ordeal  and  an  adventure"
 
The link to the Cancervive website (www.cancervive.co.za)
The link to the Cancervive video (http://www.cancervive.co.za/videos2016.html). 
Lizelle requests: Please tag @Cancervive on Facebook and @cancervive_ride on Instagram.
You can also tag me @LizelleKnott on Facebook and Instagram. Hashtags to use: #Cancervive #CancerviveRide2017 #WeWillNotBeSilent #YouAreNotAlone #YouAreTheSolution #JoinCancervive