Amy Mac Iver’s recovery from cancer has changed her mindset about how she wants to live the rest of her life. She is determined to push her body to its limits and to travel across the world.
“I definitely thrive on the stress and adrenaline,” says Amy Mac Iver. Here, she is pictured at the Cape Town Carnival, an event where Brooke Buckland, Amy’s company, was responsible for handling the public relations. PHOTO: Supplied/Amy Mac Iver
In her 47 years, Amy Mac Iver has experienced numerous setbacks; she has lost close friends and recovered from cancer. Yet, she remains enthusiastic about life.
“I’ve got one life, and it’s short. There is a lot that I’d still like to do and accomplish,” says Amy.
After finishing school in Johannesburg, she moved to Makhanda (previously known as Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape in 1993, to begin her journalism degree at Rhodes University. This decision was inspired by a family friend who once told her that she is “really good at writing” and should think about becoming a journalist.
It was a holiday internship at Radio 702, rather than her writing skills, that would lead her into journalism. “I discovered a love for radio,” says Amy. “At the end of my third year, [Radio 702] offered me a full-time job, based in Johannesburg.”
So began her career in the media.
Amy Mac Iver says she struggles to stay motivated when work is quiet. Here she is on a speedboat during the arrival of the yachts during the Cape Town leg of The Ocean Race, an event her company was running the PR for. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt
A life-changing experience
Amy entered the media industry as South Africa was still grappling with becoming a democracy. At the time, there was a lot of unrest in parts of the country, says Amy.
In 1996, she had an experience that she describes as “completely terrifying and traumatic”. It was one that would change her life.
She was covering a story in Thokoza on the East Rand, an area plagued by violence at the time. “All the other journalists had pulled out, and I was like, ‘I’ll stay, and I’ll send you a page if you need to come back’. So, I was alone in this township.”
While driving through Thokoza, “a child ran into the road out of nowhere,” Amy recalls. Her car hit the child. “I was in a [Radio] 702-marked car, but it got completely mobbed,” says Amy. She managed to escape unharmed and transported the child, who survived, to the hospital.
The incident marked a turning point in her life, as her parents decided they couldn’t have their young daughter risking her life for her job. “You are 20 [years old]. You should be having fun with your life. You shouldn’t be doing this. It’s too dangerous,” Amy’s mom told her at the time.
So, her parents bought her a ticket to Europe for her 21st birthday, and she spent the next two years travelling and working across the continent, says Amy.
After her time in Europe, she moved across the Atlantic Ocean to Southern California. She spent another eight years there, working in marketing, before returning home due to her desire to raise a family in South Africa, she says.
“I remember realising that, actually, I wanted kids. But not only that, I wanted their grandparents to be present, and for my children to know my brother and his kids,” Amy says.
Where the heart is
Amy returned to South Africa in 2005, and went back into journalism – this time working in television for eTV. She started out as a desk writer before making the switch to live broadcasting as a news presenter. She remembers the first time she presented the news live. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was convinced the entire country could hear it.
Amy Mac Iver’s job often brings her shoulder-to-shoulder with some of South Africa’s most well-known celebrities, such as comedian Siv Ngesi, who she is posing with above. PHOTO: Supplied/ Amy Mac Iver
After spending around 12 years at eTV and later eNCA, she was retrenched. Suddenly, Amy was jobless, and with two children to look after, she needed to find employment.
She was at a crossroads in life. She could either continue in the journalism industry, or become her own boss by making the switch to public relations.
In 2018, she and a close friend Bridget Pringle, also a journalist, started their own public relations agency.
The two work well together as they have opposite, yet complementary, personalities, explains Bridget.
Amy Mac Iver describes her business partner, Bridget Pringle, as one of the few people she could have ever gone into business with. Pictured here is Bridget (right) assisting Amy with her costume at the Cape Town Carnival. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt
Amy is extremely driven by the desire to make a success out of their business, and to prove herself in a new industry, says Bridget. She is also “very sociable and outgoing and likes to be out there and part of the action”, says Bridget.
Brooke Buckland, as the company is called, did not present the typical challenges new businesses face.
Not long after they started their company, Bridget’s husband, who Amy describes as “one of [her] best friends”, was diagnosed with cancer. After a tough seven-month battle, he passed away. “Bridget lost her husband and I lost a very dear friend. And that was tricky,” said Amy.
Shortly afterwards, in 2021, Amy was diagnosed with cancer. She had a husband, two young children and a business to run. Her illness was particularly tough on her daughter, who, at first, struggled to look at her when she lost all her hair.
“Amy is authentic and dedicated,” said Ingrid Peters, her close friend and running partner. Here, Amy poses with Julie Scheir, from China Global Television Network, during the Cape Town Carnival. PHOTO: Supplied/ Amy Mac Iver
Pushing the limits
Amy’s treatment ended in September 2022.
She has bounced back and now wants to live life to its fullest.
“Once you’ve been through that experience [being diagnosed with cancer], it makes you think about your life, and what you still want to accomplish. It also makes you grateful for what you have accomplished and are able to accomplish,” says Amy.
Her business is now thriving, and she has embraced her love for pushing her body to the limit, she said.
“I think you have an appreciation for your body and your health and what you’re capable of once you have been in that position,” she says.
She has been competing in the Cape Town Cycle Tour before, and has completed five. She wants to complete at least ten, so she can get her hands on the 10 Cycle Tours special jersey. Amy has also taken up running marathons and soon aims to do the Two-Oceans ultramarathon, a 56km run through Cape Town.
“It proves a point to yourself – that you can do it,” she explained.
“Amy has a genuine sense of curiosity and a desire to tell people’s stories, which is invaluable for her line of work,” said Bridget Pringle, Amy’s business partner. Pictured is Amy with some performers from the Cape Town Carnival. PHOTO: Supplied/ Amy Mac Iver
In the next few years, she also wants to complete the Freedom Swim, a 7.4km swim from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand. The swim’s website describes it as “one of the hardest extreme cold open water swims in the world”, due to the challenging conditions swimmers face.
One day, Amy thinks she might put all three of these passions into a half Ironman (1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and a 21.1km run).
Her husband has completed two full Iron Mans, but completing a half Iron Man with him is not on the cards, says Amy. She thinks that she is too competitive to train for, and complete, one with him.
“Amy is resilient. She’s committed to producing excellent results and is always willing to push herself to succeed even in the face of significant challenges which come from time to time,” says Ingrid Peters, Amy’s running partner. Ingrid met Amy in 2015, and they became good friends. They have also completed multiple marathons together.
Amy has an extensive travel bucket list, which includes driving the entire length of Africa with her husband.
“When you’re young, you think you’re going to live forever. But as you grow older, and you start having health challenges, you start to appreciate life that much more.”