Oetztaler for Jitka and Charity fund Donate Hair

Four years ago I found courage to ride the Oetztaler Radmarathon as my first such long and demanding one-day cycling event as a stand-in for my friend and fellow cycling enthusiast Jitka, who was not able to ride the race as she was recovering from her first cancer treatment. This March, after four years of fighting the disease, she passed away. She was 37. During the years full of ups and downs, her optimism, hope and will to fight to the very last moment was simply astonishing. Always sharing an aura of good mood around her, always there for others to hear their troubles and help. Her motto was: “If you can’t go on anymore, try harder!”

This year, I finally got a chance to ride the Oetztaler again, so to honour her memory I would therefore like to dedicate this cycling challenge to the cause she was advocating - Charity fund Donate Hair (Nadační Fond Daruj Vlasy) donating tailored real hair wigs to women fighting cancer and other diseases leading to hair loss. Willpower to fight is the essence of success, however when the treatment bites into the body, beauty and self-esteem, it is hard to find hope and strength to endure, especially for women. A simple (yet costly) real hair wig, which can seem as an unnecessary vanity, can greatly help women to regain not only their beautiful selves, but more importantly hope and strength during these tough times.

Back in 2014, I finished the 238km and 5500m altitude gain of Oetztaler in (for me) the incredible time of 9h 56m. Now I have the goal to beat my younger self in order to prove that where there is a will, there is a way. Superficial as it sounds, for me it has a deep meaning.

I would be thrilled if you could donate and support this amazing charity while helping to further drive my motivation to train and ultimately help more women to regain their strength through beauty.

 Šárka Černá

 #Darujvlasy #jitkamedunka #ProJitku