(CNN) A couple of hours before the news broke that the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia was finally being lifted, rumors had circulated that a decree on a women’s issue was coming.

I suspected it could be about the driving ban, but after years of campaigning to no success, I had nearly lost hope in it ever happening.

For the past few of weeks, friends of mine have been planning parties in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam to commemorate 27 years since the first protest against the ban. Since November 6, 1990, Saudi men and women have paid hefty prices for voicing their opposition to the ban on women driving in our country.

The unnecessary sacrifices of so many people crossed my mind as I read the tweets issued by the Saudi Press Agency announcing that the ban had been lifted.

The manner in which the ban was lifted…