Team tackles 2 200 km to benefit the differently abled
Local wheelchair athlete part of support team
After the 29-year-old Sandile Mkhize broke his back in three places and became a T5 paraplegic, he turned to fitness training to overcome depression.
In an effort to challenge people’s perceptions of disability, he will be part of a 10-day, 2 200km journey. This journey will start in Centurion, and end in Cape Town, and aims to raise awareness, as well as money, to assist 133 Northern Cape children with mental and physical disabilities, generally resulting from cerebral palsy, Spina Bifida, amputations, genetic syndromes, and spinal and brain injuries.
The 12-man team from One Chance at Life (OCAL) has received a welcome boost from Totalsports, which has donated R120 000 to assist OCAL Global projects, and sponsored the kit for the runners. The team includes a crutch runner, a hearing- impaired runner and one-handed cyclist.
Sandile, who is an OCAL employee, said that he became involved with OCAL during the 2016 Wings For Life World Run. “I thought the concept of the journey was something brilliant and wanted to be part of it,” he said.
He took part in last year’s OCAL Global Journey and only has fond memories. “Travelling across the country at such a slow pace is a beautiful thing. The only change I would make, is to try and get more people involved so they too can experience this Journey For Change. This year, I will be part of the support crew that is on call 24/7 so I will not be hand-cycling,” said Sandile.
Sandile added that he believes sport changes lives, and said, “There is no substitute for being active. For me, it is a great way to release stress and it helps me to manage any anxiety I experience.”
He went on to say, “In my experience, the best way to challenge these perceptions is to show up and show people how wrong they and society are in their beliefs.”The public can be part of the Journey For Change by making donations via the OCAL website at www.OCALGlobal.com. To stay up to date on the journey, follow OCAL Global on all social media platforms (@ocalglobal) and by using the hashtags #SportChangesLives and #Ocal2018.
“People can also follow our progress on my personal Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/sandile.n.mkhize,” Sandile concluded.
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