Morag Cromey-Hawkes and friends are members of the first ever team comprised entirely of female breast cancer survivors, who plan to explore Antarctica. The trek, taking in icy waters, stomach churning mountaineering and more than a few penguins, is all in aid of Abu Dhabi-based charity Operation Smile.
Morag, founder and executive director of the charity in the UAE, is never one to shy away from a challenge. In addition to training for the rigorous trek, she’s raising one million dirhams for Operation Smile, too.
First things first, Morag how did you come to be in the UAE?
I’d just graduated as a primary school teacher and had a real yearning to travel. I applied for jobs all over the world and after a few interviews was accepted for a post in the UAE. To be honest I knew nothing about the country, but looking for adventure I agreed. I arrived in a fledgling UAE (it was only nine years old) and I’ve lived here ever since. It was so exciting back then, everything was under construction, everyone was friendly, and although there were only few women here, mainly teachers, nurses and a few secretaries, we had so much fun. Over the years, I worked up through the ranks, from primary teacher to the education advisor for the School Improvement Programme.
How did you become director of Operation Smile?
In 2010, when my advisor role contract came to an end, I was approached by my dear friend HH Sheikha Al Jazia Bint Saif Al Nahyan (another mum), wife of HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed (Minister of Social Affairs) to leave education and help her set up a charity. I asked her what she had in mind and she said she wanted to help children with facial deformities.
We did some research and came up with a few different charities with this focus. We chose to work with Operation Smile (an international charity) because it builds sustainability by training the medical staff in the countries where the missions are so that they can eventually look after their own patients. I liked the charity because on each mission two high school students participate and their role is to educate the children and parents about oral hygiene and oral rehydration.
In July 2010, I went to Morocco to see Operation Smile in action. Six days later, I returned to Abu Dhabi and said ‘What are we waiting for? Let’s just do this!’ I was so inspired because of what I had seen in Morocco.
People don’t realize that many children are ostracized and even die from facial disfigurements which are relatively simply remedied. Babies with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities are often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected, which often leads to death. And in too many cases their parents can’t afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.
Operation Smile works around the world, but we in the UAE have taken teams to the Philippines, China, Morocco, Jordan and India. For 2013 we plan Vietnam and China. Plus we are very excited to be planning our first operations here in the UAE. Many UAE expats find their health insurance won’t cover these operations and we have more and more desperate parents coming forward to ask about our work. Obviously there’s still a lot to be finalised, but we are very excited, and expect our first operations to take place before June 2013.
You are now ‘five years free’ of breast cancer. Tell us about your experience
We had just returned from a family holiday and I found a cyst in my breast. I knew what it was, but as I examined it I found another lump, different in shape and size, and I just knew. I immediately had scans on both and sure enough I required a needle biopsy on the second. The results were inconclusive, but something told me it was cancer. I was lucky enough to have had exceptional doctors throughout, and they gave me the confidence to really feel I would survive. I had a lumpectomy but later they discovered the cancer had affected one lymph node and urged me to have chemotherapy. We made a plan that I could have the treatment each Thursday so I had the weekend to recover and be working again as a teacher-trainer by Monday. I wanted to work throughout it all. I never felt it was beating me and really just wanted to keep life as normal as I could. Last month, I received my five years all clear. I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I feel.
Tell us about your plans for Antarctica, the preparations and the trek?
The expedition was arranged by Julie Lewis from Mountain High (Dubai). Over the two weeks, we’ll have various expeditions including kayaking, trekking, mountaineering and snow-shoeing. Obviously it’ll be tough; the ladies have either been on cancer meds or chemo, or both, which has affected us all physically in one way or another, everything from lowering lung capacity to joint damage.
To prepare for the trip we’ve been in training here in the UAE. We walk the Yas track regularly and have had kayak training in Jebel Ali. We’ve even spent a night in Ski-Dubai’s Snow Park. We donned the gear and walked through the snow, but when it came to sleeping it was a disaster as the snow blowers were so noisy we couldn’t sleep.
The camaraderie between us all has been amazing, especially considering we didn’t know each other a few months ago. But the group is so positive and supportive, we all know what each other’s been through and can help when someone gets low. I think this will pull us all through the really tough bits of the trek.
One member of our team, Astrid Van Der Knaap, is a film-maker and photographer, and the hope is to produce a book and a film of the expedition, showing people there is life after cancer and covering our different stories of discovery, treatment and recovery.
Tell us what your family think of all this?
They’ve been incredibly supportive throughout everything I’ve done. My two kids, aged 19 and 22, actually told me after my treatment that I’d ‘powered through it’ and never for a second considered I wouldn’t recover. They said, ‘Mum, you’ve never been sick a day in your life, we know you won’t be for long.’ They love the idea of the trek and have told me to just go for it. As for my husband, when I told him about Antarctica, he asked if he could come too!
How are you planning to raise the funds for Operation Smile?
I had this idea; if everyone in the UAE gave a dirham then we could not only make a million but exceed it. I can’t do this on my own though, so I decided to throw the challenge open to school children across the UAE. Participating schools have taken my sponsorship forms and asked friends and family to donate Dhs1 each. In return, everyone’s names will be photographed with me on Antarctica and when I get back I have pledged to visit each school to give a talk on the trek plus introduce a little of what Operation Smile is about. This obviously touches on breast cancer too and the importance of getting checked regularly. In fact, I was in a school last week and received a standing ovation after I introduced myself as a ‘breast cancer survivor’. The response has been truly overwhelming.
How you can help
To get involved in Morag’s school challenge, email info@operationsmileuae.ae and ask for Antarctica Challenge Sponsorship forms.
If you’d like to learn more about the work Operation Smile does around the world while having a fun and informative day out, then visit their second birthday extravaganza on Saturday, February 16. This community event at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, will have stalls and games from Abu Dhabi’s schools and universities.
To follow Morag and the team visit www.operationsmile.org.ae, www.facebook.com/operationsmileuae, www.antarctica-expedition.com, www.facebook.com/MountainHighMe.
You can donate directly through www.justgiving.com/Morag-Cromey-Hawke. Or, send cheques directly to: Operation Smile UAE, PO Box 113554, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
