Belgian Man to Cycle 3,000 km from Brussels to Morocco for Cancer Patient’s Treatment

Rachid, 52, a bus driver at the STIB, "not too sporty", but "very adventurous", has taken on a major challenge during his "vacation", that of cycling from Brussels to Marrakech in 27 days to come to the aid of a poor woman who is suffering from uterine cancer. "In total, there are about 3,000 kilometers to cover before arriving in the remote village of Zahra. In theory, it should take me 27 days by bike," he tells La Capitale.

His journey will begin on September 15th. "The purpose of this bicycle trip from Brussels to Marrakech is to raise as much funds as possible to allow this lady to finally get treatment. Zahra is 68 years old and she has advanced uterine cancer. Unfortunately, she does not have the means to get treatment; she has never been married, she has no children and her brothers do not work. To calm her terrible pains, she can only afford Doliprane, which is the equivalent of Dafalgan and which becomes less and less effective over time," explains the quinquagenarian.

Rachid did not know Zahra. It was Fouad, whom he met during one of the humanitarian trips - during which he distributes children’s clothes he collects in Belgium in small villages in Morocco - and who has actually become his "true friend", who told him about this lady’s case. The MRE feels invested with a mission. "If I want to make this bicycle trip, it’s to make a statement about this lady, to tell her that she is not alone in the fight, so that she knows that there is someone else fighting for her; I think it’s a beautiful battle that can warm her heart and, at the same time, make my mother proud of where she is," he says.

And he continues: "[...] what I didn’t dare tell Zahra is that I lost my mother to this damn cancer a few months ago. I have a very sad and bad memory of it. Here, my mother had the chance to be treated and she fought for two years, but unfortunately, the arm wrestling was in favor of the disease."