Wheels4Life

** Press Release **

Four months after the Wheels4Life cyclists completed a 7 day, 740km fundraising ride from Johannesburg to Durban, their efforts have paid off. On Friday, 27 March, people who do not have the means to buy themselves wheelchairs were presented with new wheelchairs which will hopefully give them a new lease on life.

After a lengthy process designed to ensure that the most deserving candidates were chosen to benefit from the charity, 5 candidates were finally selected as recipients. The candidates were then assessed by physiotherapists from Rita Henn & Partners at the Netcare Rehabilitation Centre in Auckland Park and their wheelchairs were designed and built according to each candidate’s measurements and specific needs.

The wheelchairs were presented to the recipients by Tendai Khumalo and Daniel da Silva of the W4L charity. Tendai, who did the ride to Durban on a handcycle, is one of the founders of W4L and has been a paraplegic himself for 6 years. Daniel, an experienced cyclist who successfully led the W4L cyclists on the ride to Durban, has also been very involved in finding the candidates to receive the wheelchairs and attending to the logistics of having the chairs built to specification for them.

First to receive his wheelchair on Friday was 8-year-old Lesibana Maralala who became a paraplegic after being shot at the age of 3. Before receiving his new chair, Lesibana was being pushed around in a chair which was much too large for his small frame. His new small wheelchair will give him increased mobility and the freedom to do things he was previously unable to do.

The next three recipients, Lynne Spilkin, who is afflicted with muscle failure, Jennifer Paul, who became a paraplegic following a motor vehicle accident, and Maureen Du Toit, who has suffered from chronic arthritis for 15 years, all thanked W4L and said that their new wheelchairs would contribute to a better quality of life. One of the ladies mentioned that she had been needing a new wheelchair for 14 years!

The final recipient was 8-year-old Kamogelo Kwenate from the Hope School. Kamogelo suffers from spinal muscle atrophy and is unable to walk or push himself in a wheelchair. As a result, his mobility has been severely restricted as he constantly had to rely on others to assist him when he wanted to go somewhere. Kamogelo received a motorised wheelchair which will enable him to keep up with his classmates.

A successful day was rounded off by little Lesibana and Kamogelo challenging Tendai to a race down the corridors of the clinic and the smiles on their faces were wonderful to see!

The W4L team has started planning their next challenge – this time from Johannesburg to George - which will take place later this year. Should you (or someone you know) need a wheelchair which you (or they) are unable to afford, and would like to be considered as a potential recipient of a wheelchair from W4L, or if you would like to make a donation to the charity or sponsor the cyclists in some way please contact Daniel (082 341 7622) or Tendai (083 327 6841).