Durban - The woman who inspired a cross-country run and paddle to raise awareness for cancer – a condition she had had for more than two years – has died.
Nikki “Lettie” Haynes, 41, of Pennington, had breast cancer, which later spread to her lungs, liver, brain and bones.
Her family and friends were with her when she died on Saturday.
Haynes had been diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2012, and by December was told by doctors that the cancer was in remission.
Her relief was short-lived. An examination revealed it had spread throughout her body.
Last month, the Daily News reported on the epic challenge between Steve Black, 60, and Clyde Barendse, 42, who made the journey from Cape Town to Durban to raise funds for Haynes and awareness of her illness.
It was nicknamed the “Lettie Festival Coastal Challenge”.
Black, an Underberg farmer and ultramarathon runner, ran into Durban from Cape Town on June 20, having raced Barendse, a Durban paddle-skier and owner of Barcode Mobile.
Black ran 1 900km, hugging the coastline for almost a month, as Barendse battled the elements on his sea marathon.
Both left Cape Point on May 17.
In the race back to Durban, Barendse beat Black by a day.
Barendse said on Wednesday that Haynes would always be remembered for her “strong, unassuming” nature and fighting spirit.
“She never asked for anything and endured the disease with dignity. She was a pillar of strength for us all, definitely superhuman.”
Black agreed and said she had an “uncanny knack” of touching the lives of people she met – and those who had only heard of her plight.
“People who had never even met her often asked us how she was and if she had recovered. I hope she finds peace now. She will never be forgotten.”
Her sister Celeste Krummeck, 46, of Durban North, said Haynes would be remembered “only with fondness”.
“Nikki lived life to the fullest. She was the light, the love, the laughter… She was the fun. She was exuberant and will be missed. Words cannot describe how much.”
She said: “People often have to pass on for people to idolise them, but in Nikki’s case she was appreciated in life.”
She said that Haynes’s three children, Ty, 7, Lia, 5, and Slater, 3, were a testament to her sister’s love and zest for life.
“They are amazing and she and her husband, Zoog, made a formidable team.”
Zoog Haynes, who was penning a speech for his wife’s memorial service when the Daily News called him, said he had been struggling to condense the person she had been into a few sentences.
“What can you say about someone who was so real, so big? It’s hard to say what her legacy is, except that it’s full of love,” said her husband of nine years.
He said he expected more than 400 people at her memorial service at the Umdoni Golf Course on Friday.
“She was brave and courageous and let the spirit of God lead her. I hope our children embody these qualities, so she lives on through them.”