From a life-changing diagnosis to a ride that made a difference

What followed was a journey she never expected to take. Today, after successful surgery and receiving the all-clear, Philippa is sharing her story for a reason: to help others and give back to the people who helped her through one of the most difficult periods of her life.

The morning everything changed

“I felt a lump, and everything changed from that point.”

Philippa did what she knew she needed to do. She went to her doctor and was referred for a mammogram. Then came blood tests, biopsies and the placement of markers around what she and those close to her had nicknamed the “naughty lump”.

The diagnosis was breast cancer.

Philippa was fortunate that her cancer was caught early, but that didn’t take away the fear.

“I joked about it, gave it a nickname, kept the smile and jokes up, but inside I was a mess.”

While she had the support of a loving partner who made changes in his own life to help her through treatment, Philippa says cancer can still be an incredibly personal journey.

There were sleepless nights and difficult thoughts about the future. It was during these moments that the support available to her became especially important.

Finding support when it mattered most

Philippa was connected with breast cancer support services and a volunteer who became an important source of comfort.

“I could just talk, cry, or do whatever I needed to do to get through the next day.”

For Philippa, being able to have conversations with someone outside her immediate family gave her a place to voice some of the fears she found hardest to share with the people closest to her.

“These are the unsung heroes. They are there through all the horrible moments. They ask for nothing and offer their time to help other people.”

That support helped inspire Philippa to turn her own experience into something positive.

Turning a personal journey into action

Following successful surgery, Philippa received the all-clear. She will continue to undergo mammograms and monitoring over the coming years.

Until recently, she had kept much of her experience private, with only a small number of people knowing what she was going through.

Deciding to share her story wasn’t easy.

But Philippa wanted to give something back.

Together with the Harley Owners Group Wellington Chapter, she became involved in organising a charity motorcycle ride to raise money to support the fight against breast cancer.

It was their first ride of its kind, and Philippa initially had one number in mind.

50 bikes.

She got a few more than that.

126 bikes, a sea of pink and more than $5,000 raised

When the day finally arrived, 126 motorcycles officially registered for the ride, helping raise more than $5,000.

The riders set off from the Harley shop in Wellington at 11am before travelling through Queen Elizabeth Park, Transmission Gully and over the Haywards, finishing at Brewtown in Upper Hutt.

Philippa describes the turnout as overwhelming.

There were motorcycles stretching along the street, riders dressed in pink, pink ribbons and balloons decorating bikes, and people coming together around one shared purpose.

“We made new friends. We all came together with one common goal: to raise as much as we could for breast cancer.”

Along the way, people shared their own experiences.

Some stories were tragic. Others were inspiring. Each was a reminder of why the riders had come together.

HRV proud to get behind Philippa

For HRV, supporting the ride was also an opportunity to get behind one of our own people and a cause that means an enormous amount to her.

HRV came onboard as a major sponsor of the event, donating a television as a prize.

“I would personally like to thank HRV for being our major sponsor and donating the TV. That was mind-blowing.”

But ultimately, this story belongs to Philippa and the community that rallied around the ride.

It is about what can happen when a difficult personal experience becomes motivation to help someone else.

And Philippa isn’t finished.

Planning has already begun for next year’s ride, and she has set herself a considerably bigger target.

300 riders.

Considering she hoped for 50 the first time and ended up with 126, we probably wouldn’t bet against her.

As Philippa puts it:

“Watch this space.”

A note from Philippa

Philippa hopes that sharing her experience encourages people to pay attention to changes in their bodies, seek appropriate medical advice and make use of the support available to them if they find themselves facing a breast cancer diagnosis.

Most of all, her story is about giving back to the people and organisations that are there when people need them most, and helping work towards a future in which fewer families lose someone they love to breast cancer.

Congratulations to Philippa, the Harley Owners Group Wellington Chapter, everyone who took part in the ride, the volunteers, supporters and everyone who donated. More than $5,000 raised from a first-time event is something to be incredibly proud of.