Simone Sharpe survived cancer and a blood disorder all before the age of 20; now for her 31st birthday, she is taking on a titanium triathlon to raise funds for charity.
South Africa (22 January 2021) – Simone Sharpe is doing a triathlon for her 31st birthday to raise funds for a childhood cancer organisation and an animal welfare organisation that helps families pay for their veterinary expenses.
Simone is a childhood cancer survivor and animal love, so the causes are very close to her heart. She will be doing a 3.1km swim, a 31-mile cycle, followed by a 31km run. The reason these tasks are a lot is that Simone isn’t a seasoned athlete.
“I decided to do this in celebration of the fact that I made it this far, I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer) at 15 and was diagnosed with a life-threatening form of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (blood disorder) at 18. I’ve had many rounds of chemo, radiation, various operations and am fortunate to have conquered my illnesses.
I came out of it worse for wear in that I was overweight and unhealthy (but still smiling and positive). Through exercise, I have turned my life around and the lessons it has taught me, and the strength it has given me (far beyond physical strength), is something I feel passionate about sharing.
I will therefore share bits of my journey on the day of the triathlon, and I hope to raise funds for the two foundations that are dear to me:
CHOC – the childhood cancer foundation that assists children with both cancer and life-threatening blood disorders, as well as the PDSA (people’s dispensary for sick animals), which treats and cares for sick/ injured animals whose owners cannot afford the cost of private veterinarians.”
Simone has a few challenges that will make her titanium triathlon harder on her than most. Because of her treatments earlier in life, she developed Avascular Necrosis in her shoulders, which led to a shoulder replacement.
“I now have a titanium humeral head – thus the name Titanium triathlon. I will be doing it alone and therefore won’t be uploading too much on the day but will take some videos/ pics to share on my Facebook and Instagram pages for those who might like to follow along on the 22nd January 2021.”
“Through this platform, whatever is raised, will be divided in two and given to the two organizations. Thank you for your support!”
If you would like to support Simone on her journey today, you can donate to her cause here. She is hoping to raise R20,000 and has raised R16,705.00 so far!