Left for dead to rise again

Para-athletes have heaped praise on sport for changing their lives and allowing them to hope, believe and dream again.

In 2001, Rudely Gawaseb woke up to play football with his friends like he would do every other day during his teenage years, but little did he know that was the last time he would be able to run and kick a ball.

Just after a football match, the accident which changed his life forever happened when the car Gawaseb was travelling in was hit from the side.

The Para-athlete spent three months in hospital with an injured spine and head.

At the time, all Gawaseb hoped for was that “God could come and take him” rather than leaving him paralysed and wheelchair-bound.

It was during this time that sport became his source of inspiration and a chance for Gawaseb to live and fall in love with life again.

“I was battered and emotionally destroyed, because one moment I was fit and able to run and the next moment I could not walk.

“This was a time when I went through a rough patch with my back against the wall and having so many questions as to why this happened to me,” Gawaseb reminisced.

In 2002, he was introduced to wheelchair-basketball, something that made him believe again.

Gawaseb played well, but still felt that something was missing in his life.

“It was in 2016 when I was introduced to Para-cycling and I took the opportunity with both hands.

“I must say that sport is really something which is an inspiration. My advice to those who have gone through so much in life is to never give up.

“It is important that you realise that having a disability does not mean it's the end of the world,” Gawaseb said.

Another athlete who found inspiration in sport is T12 sprinter Martin Aloysius.

Born in 1989 in Lubango, Angola, Aloysius' life had barely started when a fire left him severely burnt at just four months old.

“When my parents moved to Namibia, they resided at a place near Döbra and that is when an incident that changed the rest of my life happened.

“I had to spend the first four years of my life in hospital fighting for survival. I did eventually recover well, after going through hell,” he said. The fire however left him scarred, something he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

Aloysius suffers from poor vision, while his face was disfigured by the fire and the aftermath of continuous surgeries.

But his life changed for the better when he became a T12 100m, 200m and 300m athlete.

“Sport really changed my life and motivated me to actually accept everything that has happened.

“I am grateful to God that He gave me a gift which eventually made me see places I never would have seen.

“I therefore encourage parents with kids who they think are hopeless to consider bringing them to sport.”

Powerlifter Ruben Sorose, who was diagnosed with polio which left him disabled during childhood, also found inspiration in sport.

Born in 1979 at Omaruru, Soroseb didn't allow his disability to become an obstacle in his life, and competes in top powerlifting events all over the world.

He was voted the disabled sportsman of the year in 2014 after winning gold medals at the Nedbank South African Disabled Championships.

“I would like to urge those who feel lost and hopeless to pick themselves up and do something with their lives.

“The condition or problems you have can always be tackled when you face them and follow your dreams.

“Sport is that one thing that can make you feel normal and able,” Soroseb said.

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Jesse Jackson Kauraisa