The aftermath of a good night
Dedicating his life to speaking to the Namibian youth about the dangers of drinking and driving, Julian Roos has impacted the lives of many.
After matriculating from Windhoek Technical Secondary School, Julian Roos faced a wonderful life ahead of him. “I was always a bubbly and energetic young person and I had hopes and dreams just like everyone else,” he explained. In 2005, Roos's mother passed away and according to him, this was the time he started to fight his demons of unresolved issues with his mother and that he had “missed the opportunity to make things right”. He believed he was invincible and he had nothing to lose. Being young, and like many today, Roos loved the fast life and he would brag about how he could travel from Windhoek to Swakopmund in less than three hours. After being involved in three alcohol-and speed-related accidents, this still did not deter him from speeding and he continued driving recklessly. But, this laissez-faire attitude did not achieve anything as he could not run away from his social problems. “I started partying heavily and drinking helped me to forget all these problems.”
On 16 June 2007, the day Roos's life changed forever, he was involved in a horrific car accident that damaged his brain stem and the part that controls the flow of messages between the brain and the rest of the body. The doctors thought Roos would become mentally and physically unresponsive, but, after spending eight weeks in a rehabilitation centre in South Africa, he managed to “learn the basics from scratch”. Although Roos cannot remember any scenes from the accident, he still thinks about what happened that night… to this day. “I was told that my girlfriend of the time and I were partying at a local pub and I was playing drinking games. One of my friends apparently took my car keys and hid them but I demanded to get them back. After a fight with my girlfriend, I decided to drive her home in a rush as the plan was to get back and carry on partying the night away,” he narrated.
Unfortunately, neither Roos nor his girlfriend made it home that night and he only woke up 66 days later from a coma. “My first memory was asking for something sweet at Paramount Hospital in Windhoek now I have spent the last 11 years trying to get my life back.” Today, Roos suffers from excessive tremors that he cannot control. His balance and speech is affected and he struggles to make out a simple sentence. He has worked very hard though and he is proud of all that he has achieved along the years. After collaborating with the Self-Regulating Alcohol Industry Forum (SAIF) last year, Roos has devoted his life to working towards creating awareness for drinking and driving amongst the youth. “I decided to speak to the youth, because it all starts off when you are young and this is the part of your life when you think you are invincible,” he explained.
According to Roos, he felt good speaking to the youth as he believes he is doing what God has planned for him. “Although, I speak in front of many people and tell them my story, I still fear how other people view me, but I have come to a point where it does not affect me much,” he said. Roos and SAIF work together to raise awareness about the dangers of abusing alcohol and according to Horst Heimstadt, a representative from SAIF, the talks have made an impact in the children's lives and they always listen to what he has to say. His talks are usually constructed with Roos speaking at the schools' assemblies and after the address; learners are given an opportunity to ask questions. Although he has addressed school children from more than 15 schools in Windhoek, Roos still aspires to reach more people. “I want to travel around Namibia and possibly Africa to tell everyone about my story. I just do not want people to end up like me.”
In his free time, Roos enjoys playing computer games and spending time with his namesake and friend Julian who is also disabled. Although he is proud of overcoming the stress caused by the hopelessness expressed by the doctors, Roos still hopes to get better and aspires to do much in future. “I would like to go to a rehabilitation centre in South Africa and start receiving treatment and my only focus right now is to get better,” he said. Roos thanked his cousin Suzanne Bonitz for taking care of him over the years. “Suzanne has always been there to give me advice on certain issues and I will forever be indebted to her.”
Roos admitted that he still struggles to come to terms with what has happened and he battles with finding peace within himself. “It was not an easy road, but I am grateful that I have a strong support system and I always receive good wishes from the children I speak to,” he said. Roos says that his outlook on life has changed since his accident and his sister always told him one should go slow in order to go fast. “It basically means if you do things with the right pace, you will do it right the first time and you would not have to go back to do it again,” he explained. He also said there are days when he wants to drink alcoholic beverages, but he does not want to take a chance saying doctors said it could have a negative effect on his brainstem.
Roos said he misses everything about his previous life and he would do anything to get it back, but he wants to do it the right way and teach himself how to get his life back in the right way and for the right reasons. “The only message I want to leave the youth with, is spending more than 10 years to get your life back on track is not worth the fun of a night out you cannot even remember.”
TUNOHOLE MUNGOBA
On 16 June 2007, the day Roos's life changed forever, he was involved in a horrific car accident that damaged his brain stem and the part that controls the flow of messages between the brain and the rest of the body. The doctors thought Roos would become mentally and physically unresponsive, but, after spending eight weeks in a rehabilitation centre in South Africa, he managed to “learn the basics from scratch”. Although Roos cannot remember any scenes from the accident, he still thinks about what happened that night… to this day. “I was told that my girlfriend of the time and I were partying at a local pub and I was playing drinking games. One of my friends apparently took my car keys and hid them but I demanded to get them back. After a fight with my girlfriend, I decided to drive her home in a rush as the plan was to get back and carry on partying the night away,” he narrated.
Unfortunately, neither Roos nor his girlfriend made it home that night and he only woke up 66 days later from a coma. “My first memory was asking for something sweet at Paramount Hospital in Windhoek now I have spent the last 11 years trying to get my life back.” Today, Roos suffers from excessive tremors that he cannot control. His balance and speech is affected and he struggles to make out a simple sentence. He has worked very hard though and he is proud of all that he has achieved along the years. After collaborating with the Self-Regulating Alcohol Industry Forum (SAIF) last year, Roos has devoted his life to working towards creating awareness for drinking and driving amongst the youth. “I decided to speak to the youth, because it all starts off when you are young and this is the part of your life when you think you are invincible,” he explained.
According to Roos, he felt good speaking to the youth as he believes he is doing what God has planned for him. “Although, I speak in front of many people and tell them my story, I still fear how other people view me, but I have come to a point where it does not affect me much,” he said. Roos and SAIF work together to raise awareness about the dangers of abusing alcohol and according to Horst Heimstadt, a representative from SAIF, the talks have made an impact in the children's lives and they always listen to what he has to say. His talks are usually constructed with Roos speaking at the schools' assemblies and after the address; learners are given an opportunity to ask questions. Although he has addressed school children from more than 15 schools in Windhoek, Roos still aspires to reach more people. “I want to travel around Namibia and possibly Africa to tell everyone about my story. I just do not want people to end up like me.”
In his free time, Roos enjoys playing computer games and spending time with his namesake and friend Julian who is also disabled. Although he is proud of overcoming the stress caused by the hopelessness expressed by the doctors, Roos still hopes to get better and aspires to do much in future. “I would like to go to a rehabilitation centre in South Africa and start receiving treatment and my only focus right now is to get better,” he said. Roos thanked his cousin Suzanne Bonitz for taking care of him over the years. “Suzanne has always been there to give me advice on certain issues and I will forever be indebted to her.”
Roos admitted that he still struggles to come to terms with what has happened and he battles with finding peace within himself. “It was not an easy road, but I am grateful that I have a strong support system and I always receive good wishes from the children I speak to,” he said. Roos says that his outlook on life has changed since his accident and his sister always told him one should go slow in order to go fast. “It basically means if you do things with the right pace, you will do it right the first time and you would not have to go back to do it again,” he explained. He also said there are days when he wants to drink alcoholic beverages, but he does not want to take a chance saying doctors said it could have a negative effect on his brainstem.
Roos said he misses everything about his previous life and he would do anything to get it back, but he wants to do it the right way and teach himself how to get his life back in the right way and for the right reasons. “The only message I want to leave the youth with, is spending more than 10 years to get your life back on track is not worth the fun of a night out you cannot even remember.”
TUNOHOLE MUNGOBA
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