Joburg woman halfway through walk to Cape Town, beating blisters, blessed by strangers
Supplied/Nicole Telukram
Nicole Liedemann-Telukram decided to walk from Joburg to Cape Town on 1 May to raise awareness for her husband's rare disease.
Fourteen days in, and she's beaten blisters and the flu to make the halfway point of the 1 400km journey in Hanover along the N1.
Accompanied by her best friend Neo Paballo-Mahao and dog Zaza, the trio have been amazed at the kindness of strangers and the trucking community.
And America's most prominent Dercum's disease researcher has also reached out.
When Nicole Liedemann-Telukram set out to walk from Alberton police station to take on the 1 400km journey to Cape Town, her goals were to complete the journey and raise awareness and funds for Dercum's disease.
Her husband, Shaun, also known as Sathish, suffers from the rare disease which causes fatty, painful growths under the skin called lipomas.
Shaun's condition has deteriorated in recent years, leaving him in a wheelchair and resulting in him losing his job.
On 1 May, Nicole took the leap and followed in the footsteps of rikshaw-pulling TikTok star Gump Suzuki and his cross-continent trip.
But she hasn't done it alone. Accompanied by her friend, Neo Paballo-Mahao, travelling 5km/hour behind her in a safety vehicle with her trusty boerboel, Zaza, it's been two women and a dog conquering the N1.
We caught up with her on Monday while at a guest house in Colesberg, offered to her by one of the many guardian angels who have assisted along the way.
'It's been humbling, it's been exciting, and it's been, very, very interesting,' she said with a knowing laugh about her journey so far.
'It's been a dream actually. When you live in a city, you don't actually take note of how humble and helpful people [in small towns] can be, and how heartwarming and welcoming they can be. We've gotten so much help from these smaller towns.'
'The truckers are like our siblings in the distance'
The ripple effect of strangers assisting the three of them has followed them along their route across the country.
Nicole's BackaBuddy page
It started with her own community in Alberton, where friends and even clients called in favours to people in towns along the road. When entering new towns, they have met new people who offered a helping hand – and then spread the word.
'I mean, in Winburg, the DA councillor for that area, she has a guest house called Danke Schön. Then while there, a lady in the community assisted us with doing our washing, and they've been kind enough to have us with our dog.
'We've been bawling, I think, every two days so far just at the helpfulness and the generosity of strangers.'
Some of their biggest supporters have been the ever-present trucking community. Ever since their first truck stop, where they encountered helpful truckers sharing tips of where it was safe to go, where it was safe to park, they have sought out truck stops every night.
'The trucking community has honestly been like our siblings in the distance,' said Paballo.
'They have communicated with everyone in their community, and every now and again we get a hoot along the road.'
Battling flu and beating the blisters
So, what is it like walking along South Africa's national road for two weeks?
The trio wake up in the morning, eat breakfast and hit the road at around 07:00 on most days. Nicole walks inside of the yellow lane while Paballo travels directly behind her as cars pass by.
They don't stop to eat until evening, taking 10-minute breaks during the day to stretch and use up the copious amounts of coffee sachets they brought along. During this time, they sometimes play some music and dance.
At night they rest and eat, preferring to sleep in the car at truck stops on the nights when they haven't secured accommodation.
Nicole had a small battle with flu over days 10 and 11 but was gifted all the right meds by a kind woman and is now back to her best.
'I still feel amazing, my body still feels amazing, my mental state is still 100%,' she said, adding:
Everything with the power of prayer. God first; and we've prayed our way through every step. My feet also feel good. I had just one or two blisters, but it's kind of healed up, so I feel great.
For Paballo, she is grateful that she is driving an automatic car, and the constant sitting required to drive that slowly has yielded much patience, she says. She also came to appreciate the warmth of a blanket on cold Free State nights.
'The last two nights, we've had a place to sleep and shower and feel fresh, have some coffee and have some rusks and look like a person,' she laughed.
'It was really good and oh my word, I'm so grateful for electric blankets. They are absolutely amazing.'
The next half journey and how you can support.
Both women describe the journey so far as fun, but Nicole has always had her eyes set on raising awareness and funds for Dercum's disease.
Just this week, she received a response from Dr Karen Herbst in the US, known as the foremost researcher of the rare disease, who now wants to amplify her walk and campaign in America.
News24 has also received many emails from members of the public who would like to meet up with her, join her for a walk or donate socks or food.
Nicole's BackaBuddy page
For those wanting to follow her journey, you can do so on TikTok @nicoletelukram and @dercumsdriver. Here you can find two places to donate, either to the cause or to the journey.
But Nicole has asked those who want to offer their support, especially corporates, to give to the cause through BackaBuddy.
'We're still looking for donations towards the journey, like accommodation. But if any company would like to sponsor, do not sponsor me with clothes and shoes. Rather donate to the cause.
'I don't need a fancy pair of takkies for walking, because I don't plan to walk again,' she laughed.
Now the trio look set for the second half of their journey. With their eyes on Cape Town for a June finish, Nicole reflects on what it takes to go for a daring dream.
'Be bold, be brave and just stick it out. Just do it. It is hard. But you're capable of so much more than you think.
'I miss my family. I miss my husband. But mommy's doing this for them, and as a mother, as a woman, as a society, if you have a message to send: do it.'
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