2023-10-23 10:27:52
In the company of her “sister of heart and combat”, Gwénola Monnier, director of agencies in Vendée, is preparing to participate for the second time in the Raid Cœur d’Argan which takes place in the Moroccan desert. A solidarity and 100% female 4X4 raid dedicated to the fight once morest female cancers.
Gwénola Monnier is looking forward to participating for the second time in the Raid Cœur d’Argan which starts from Agadir starting on November 4. ©DR
There are destinies that change a life. At the end of 2019, Gwénola Monnier, in her forties, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is forced to carry out part of her chemotherapy sessions during the confinement period. “At the time, these were my only occupations, and my only concern was to get better” she declares.
“I wanted something that made sense in terms of solidarity”
After the treatment comes the remission process. Time for questioning too. “I did my little post-chemo check-up and I gave myself new goals” says the director of the events agency TMS Events and the groupist Vowel around twenty employees, (network Cediv Travel), located in Montaigu-Vendée, 30 minutes south of Nantes. On her list of things she wants to do, a 4X4 rally in the desert. “I also wanted something that made sense in terms of solidarity” underlines Gwénola Monnier who while carrying out research comes across the Lyonnes de Tatooïnes (see below), an association in the Lyon region which works to improve the quality of life of women suffering from cancer, and which offers various actions to (re)set them in motion.
Among these actions are Heart of Arganan orientation raid with compass and roadbook organized since 2014 in the Moroccan desert. The concept immediately appealed to Gwénola who, “sponsors found”, registered with one of her best friends for the 2021 edition. Barely back, the two women say to themselves that they must repeat this ordeal, this time by creating two new crews, “to make small children of sorts”. Manager of a U store, Virginie Vergne, who was able to detect breast cancer in time, becomes the new teammate of Gwénola, her “sister of heart and battle”.
Fighting and positive, Gwénola took the opposite view of the illness with a lot of humor. ©DR
“We think we are desert adventurers”
Departure from Agadir is set for November 4. “We rent the vehicles on site, and we make a loop in the desert, at the gates of the Sahara in the regions of Souss Massa and Drââ. We return to the same camp every evening” explains Gwénola Monnier, who speaks above all of a “human adventure” and a “reconstruction for all of us”. Because the objective here is not so much to win but to “surpass yourself and take up the challenge”. A total of 18 crews are on the starting line. Arrival is scheduled for November 12. “Without network for five days, we are completely cut off from the world, we think we are desert adventurers” comments Gwénola who puts things into perspective by specifying that the crews, limited to 20, are “very well supervised and highly coached”.
The dream of being sponsored by the Cediv Travel network
For this entrestarter, the fight once morest illness and participation in the raid gave her “additional strength, pugnacity” which allowed him to surpass himself, and in particular “put together a file with the banks for the takeover of Voyel”. An agency certified by Cediv Travel for its caring, authentic and… supportive side. This cannot be invented. “In this human-sized network, we know that we can share and count on each other” relates Gwénola Monnier.
Next year, the Raid Cœur d’Argan celebrates its tenth anniversary. The boss of TMS Events and Voyel would of course like to be there. To do this, you will have to go through the sponsor search box once more, “a little less than 10,000 euros are needed”but above all she cherishes a dream: that her participation might be sponsored by Cediv or Cedi agenciesv, “at the network level, there is undoubtedly one who at one point in her life was affected by breast cancer. It would be nice to team up” says the manager. If it is necessary to raise funds to participate in the raid, let us however specify that all profits are donated to associations that fight once morest female cancers.
In the meantime, Gwénola Monnier and Virginie Vergne are impatient to start this ninth edition. “We have our headlamps, our compasses, our binoculars. We receive our outfits, our stickers. We’re really looking forward to it” declares Gwénola who, along with Virginie, appreciates being called the “RoLS” of the desert. A crew called “Raid Of Love Sisters”, united for life and endowed with a mentality of steel.
Les Lyonnes de Tatooïnes, to get women moving once more
An association that does not lack heart ©DR
Affected by breast cancer in 2007, Valérie Lugon, certified coach, founded the Lyonnes de Tatooïne in 2011 with the desire to help sick women feel better during and following treatments. Lover of the desert, she created the first Cœur d’Argan raid in 2014. Other events are gradually being added to the association. Always aimed at women, Cœur de Rustine, the fourth edition of which takes place from June 1 to 7, is a sporty and supportive ride on an electrically assisted bike. The objective is to connect Lyon to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer by bike. Since 2022, the Lyonnes de Tatooïne have been offering Equicoaching sessions in the Lyon region, “Cheval Rose”, to support sick people in the search for their physical and emotional well-being. 2023 sees the implementation of Coeur de Pirates, a section of Dragon Ladies (dragon-headed canoe) in Drôme. A beneficial health-paddling physical activity for sick women.
More information regarding the association ici.
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