Over 200 bikers across Cape Town took a ride to Villiersdorp on Sunday morning to realise the dream of a teenage cancer patient.
But while on their way and just a few minutes from their destination, the bikers were informed that Jamille Brett, 15, who had Refractory Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, had just passed away.
It had been Jamille’s dream to ride a motorbike before he died.
The boy was in stage four of the dreaded disease.
Anthea-Lynn Lewis, the co-ordinator at CANSA TLC Western Cape, put his request on Facebook last Wednesday and within minutes,
bikers from eight clubs responded.
Anthea says everything was in order and they gave Jamille the good news on Thursday.
“He was staying at Vrederus home for children with cancer,” she explains.
“We made a video of the moment we told him that his dream ride was going to come true on Sunday, he couldn’t speak much but was very excited.”
Anthea says Jamille wanted to take the 20-minute drive to his family home in Villiersdorp to
surprise his grandma.
A biker had brought along an oxygen tank for the ride, attached to a special yellow trike for the boy.
Unfortunately, as the riders were making their way to Viliersdorp, Jamille passed away at 9am on Sunday morning.
“I asked him if he was ready and he said yes. I turned away and looked back at him and he was gone,” says a hartseer Anthea.
The bikers formed a guard of
honour as Jamille’s body was taken from the hostel to his home.
His mom, Julian Brett, said: “Jamille would have wanted the ride to still go along even without him being there.”