ABU DHABI // If you ever go to Antarctica, look for the Pink Ribbon Peak on Paradise Bay.
The glacial dome is named after the first and only expedition to Antarctica by a team of breast-cancer survivors from the UAE.
The inspirational story of the Jewels of Antarctica, as the team of 12 women is called, is beautifully told in Arabic and English in a new photobook and accompanying film out in limited release this month.
The Strength and Spirit of Women: Breast Cancer Survivors’ Antarctica Expedition profiles each woman’s journey, detailing how they overcame their terrifying diagnosis and celebrated their triumph by trekking in one of the world’s last great wildernesses.
“I witnessed both my mother and sister Lara fight this disease with immense courage,” survivor Linda Berlot said in the 125-page book.
“Going to Antarctica was a way to honour their courage and spirit, as well as mine. It was also a way for me to show my 15-year-old niece and other women that there is life after cancer, that the disease does not define you.”
The 12-day excursion was organised by Mountain High, a local company that has been leading global expeditions, retreats and personal leadership programmes for women over the past decade.
Its British founder, Abu Dhabi resident Julie Lewis, 51, has also been active in organising events aimed at raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research and education in the UAE.
“I thought rather than just take a team of people to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer, it would be very unique and more powerful to take a team of breast-cancer survivors,” said Mrs Lewis.
Last year she began searching for local participants to join her historic expedition.
“I began to search for women willing to say yes to Antarctica and make modern-day adventure history for the UAE, and for breast cancer awareness,” Mrs Lewis says in the book.
Through word of mouth and media coverage, she was able to quickly assemble her multicultural team from across the UAE.
“I just came up to my five-year milestone and thought, ‘I have to be a part of this’,” survivor Grace Edwards said in the film accompanying the book. “It is marking a celebration.”
The team trained on Tuesday nights at Yas Marina Circuit, where the women ran or walked laps around the Formula One track.
On Saturday mornings, they would meet at Ski Dubai to prepare for the cold and rugged terrain of Antarctica.
They hiked up and down the slope in snowshoes and camped out in the minus-2°C climate-controlled snow park.
“I wanted to try to replicate as much as possible what they were going to be doing when we were in Antarctica,” said Mrs Lewis.
On December 3 last year the women finally set sail aboard the MV Plancius cruise ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions.
Perhaps the one challenge they were unprepared for was the crossing of the Drake Passage, a treacherous stretch of ocean between South America and Antarctica, where three to four-metre swells kept many of the women bedridden. On December 6, they safely set foot on Antarctica.
“We did snowshoeing, kayaking, mountaineering, visited some research stations, we did a short camp with no tents, just sleeping out on the shore – but with special polar sleeping bags that are four different layers so you’re quite toasty,” said Mrs Lewis.
In one of the more memorable moments captured on film and recounted in the book, the team hiked for hours up a steep snow slope. Once they reached the summit, they named it Pink Ribbon Peak.
“When it’s the first time that anybody’s done that you have naming rights, so it was named Pink Ribbon Peak after the team so that when other passengers go back on the ship, they will point it out, so that was super,” Mrs Lewis said.
The book was produced by twofour54’s creative lab under the patronage of Sheikha Aljazia Al Nahyan.
“We salute these women’s courage to share their personal stories,” Sheikha Aljazia said in the book. “Let’s show them that their courage is not wasted. They are an inspiration to all.”
rpennington@thenational.ae