GMA Extra: Helping a determined student to live to his full potential

GMA EXTRA 4 APRIL 2016 (MUSA/MARIT)

Helping a determined student to live to his full potential

BACKGROUND:  Musa Simelane is a 2nd year BA Communications Student at the University of Bloemfontein. He works hard. He studies with an academic bursary and stays in the Campus Res, but the rest of his costs are a struggle to get together for him and his single mom. 

What sets Musa apart from other students in the same situation is that Musa was born with “Limbs Deformity". This means that his legs and arms are not fully developed. He taught himself to walk small distances, to write and to use his limbs as much as he can - despite great hardship. Musa even pushed himself to play rugby - wheelchair rugby - and excels at the sport. He was selected to represent the South African team in an international tournament in the United Kingdom in 2015. Now Musa needs his own Rugby Wheelchair - but the price tag of R90 000,00 is way above his means. The 2nd Year Occupational Therapy Students of the University of Pretoria have met Musa and have been inspired by his attitude towards his disability, his work ethic, positive outlook on life in general and his humility. They have organised a special Action Sports Day to raise funds for Musa's wheelchair - and they are asking for your support.

YOU CAN HELP!!

Enter for a team for the Action Sports Day at the Zambezi Action Sport Arena. 

Date: 9 April 2016

Cost: R400 per team

Activities: Action dodgeball, soccer, cricket and netball

To enter contact: Marit on [email protected]

Bring along extra cash for raffles, food and drinks. 

All proceeds to go towards Musa's special rugby wheelchair!

ORIGINAL REQUEST:

Good evening to The Good Morning Angels Team,

My name is Marit von Schlichting, a second year Occupational Therapy Student.  We are in the process of helping a young sports hero accomplish his dreams, and have tried countless ways to get others involved. I know that you carry people's needs very close to your heart, and truly hope that you could help me in this venture.

I have attached a letter with more information in this regard. 

I sincerely hope that your team would be able to support us and Musa. We would be forever grateful.

Thank you very much for your time!

Kind regards and God Bless,

Marit von Schlichting

Dear Jacaranda FM & Good Morning Angels,

Life is not always fair. This is something many people contacting you probably know. Yet one young gentleman, Musa Ebenezer Simelane, has lived his life making the most of the cards he has been dealt. Humble beyond description, he faces a future of struggle and hope.  

Musa was born with a congenital abnormality of the arms and legs. The doctors described it as “Limbs Deformity,” and claim it is a condition which will affect him life-long.  He cannot walk properly, can hardly run, struggles to write or use his arms as a normal person can.  The doctors promised his family they would be able to fix his legs, but after numerous operations he still struggles forward with a severe limp, and needs to stop after twenty minutes of walking due to the immense pain.  

Over years of practicing, he has learned to write, however this is yet another of his endless struggles.  As a child he needed help in everyday tasks, such as getting dressed, brushing his teeth, eating his food, or climbing stairs.  Through hard work, he finally managed to achieve these tasks years after other children his age did.  He has received various operations throughout his life, all attempting to help him but none being very successful.  The long periods he spent in hospital also set him back in his school career, so that he finished matric three years after his peers.  

Although facing such difficulties, Musa remains humble and positive, and doesn’t plead for help.  Even so, he has received as much help, love and support as anyone could ask for from his mother, a strong woman who fights for her only son every day.  Unfortunately, Musa’s father died when Musa was just 2 years old, leaving his mother to fight for the two of them.  They have faced great financial difficulty which has forced them to move from Bloemfontein to Port Elizabeth, to Johannesburg, and back to Bloemfontein again.  Musa was sent to various schools, and in a particularly difficult time was sent to live with his Grandmother while his mother found work.  Even so, the two of them are closer than ever, and Musa says his mother, and God, are the two figures in his life he can completely rely on.

For obvious reasons, Musa couldn’t play regular sports with his peers, but this didn’t stop him from trying.  It was while playing Wheelchair Basketball that Musa’s hopes in sports were lost due to a major setback.  An old school friend of Musa, playing for the National wheelchair basketball team, introduced him to Wheelchair Rugby and persuaded him to give it all a shot.  Musa worked hard and started enjoying it, and his dedication was rewarded when he was selected to represent the South African team in an international tournament in the United Kingdom in 2015.  Of course he is really proud of this – it is an inspiration to see someone’s humility, perseverance and determination pay off.

Currently, Musa is staying in a University Residence in Bloemfontein, where he is in his second year of a BA in Corporate and Marketing Communication.  This opportunity has only been given to him through an education bursary which allows him a shot at a successful future.  However, extra money for food, travel and living expenses remains a never-ending challenge. Musa is a young man who is a great inspiration to others, particularly those facing disabilities themselves.  His optimism and dedication push him further than anyone could have deemed possible.

So how can he be helped further?  In order to continue his Rugby career, Musa needs to save enough money for a custom-made wheelchair – one costing R90 000.  It is impossible for him to raise this money by himself – he needs all the help he can get.  

As Occupational Therapy Department of the University of Pretoria we are organizing an Action Sports Day on 9 April 2016 at the Zambezi Action Sport Arena.  Our aim is to motivate sport teams and faculties from the University to participate in sports such as action dodgeball, soccer, cricket and netball on a competitive basis. We intend to raise funds towards Musa's custom-made wheelchair through team entry fees, food sales/sponsorships and raffle/money donations. We are also looking for prizes for the winning teams.

We are asking whether the Good Morning Angels program, which has helped so many people in need in the past, can help this man live a life worth remembering.

Our most humble thanks,

Marit von Schlichting & the 2nd Year Occupational Therapy Students of the University of Pretoria

[email protected]