New adventure kicks off on two wheels
Harley Davidson Zambezi club helped retired nurse and cancer survivor to tick off the top wish on her bucket list.
Bikers on their fine machines, engines roaring, stood in line on Friday to salute a woman who had made a real difference in her community.
Jean Mortonbouch (72) spent the last 19 years at Sungardens hospice devoting herself to taking care of others.
After finally accepting retirement, Jean said she was ready for a new adventure.
Part of her new adventure started on Friday morning at Harley Davidson Zambezi, in the north of Pretoria.
“She has no idea that she’ll be riding on a Harley today,” tyre-flipping record holder Chris Batts told Rekord earlier.
Batts said the surprise was arranged at Harley Davidson Zambezi, as a top wish on the bucket list of the local heroine was to “one day ride one of these giant iron steeds”.
“She’s quite the adventurer. Riding on a Harley Davidson has been a dream of hers for a long time,” colleague and friend, Esmé Potgieter said on scene.
The guest of honour arrived at the club around 10:00.
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“I didn’t expect this,” said an ecstatic Mortonbouch as she was greeted by Reg Bennets from Harley Davidson Zambezi.
It only took her a few minutes to get into her biker’s gear and soon she was ready to leave for her surprise trip to Hartbeespoort Dam.
“I’m so glad we could make her wish come true. She is such a special person to all of us at the Sungardens hospice,” Potgieter said.
“Jean worked in the patient ward at the hospice for 19 years.”
Sungardens hospice specialises in taking care of terminally ill patients with progressive, far advanced, and incurable diseases.
The hospice also offers aid to the families of terminally ill patients – taking care of their loved-ones when they no longer can.
Working with the patients at the hospice took courage, but the biggest challenge for Mortonbouch came about in 2014 when she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Jean is a survivor,” says Potgieter. “She stood up and carried on.”
Potgieter said Mortonbouch was a yoga-instructor and kept a healthy active lifestyle.
There are obviously many more adventures awaiting her. The Harley Davidson bike ride was only the start.
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