‘I feel like a child that got a new present’: amputee

Cameron Africa felt hopeless with no sense of purpose after walking on crutches for a year and a half since the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

But this week the 40-year-old father of two had his dignity and hope restored after getting a new prosthetic leg. It was thanks to an initiative, Zimele (isiXhosa for independence), helping amputees from disadvantaged backgrounds live as independently as possible through rehabilitation, medical care and provides them with prosthesis. 

Africa's limb was amputated after he was diagnosed with Bueger’s disease, a rare condition in which blood vessels become inflamed, causing blood clots and pain. He did not qualify for a prosthesis in the public healthcare sector. 

This week not only did he walk again, but on Sunday he will showcase his moves dancing in the Zumba Dance fundraiser at Herschel Girls School in Claremont to raise funds for Zimele to assist more amputees.  

“I cannot describe in words the excitement I feel for getting a new leg. I feel like a child that got a new present. It feels good to be walking on my own again. Not being able to walk was such a life-altering experience. You feel like such a burden. I lost many friends, and my marriage of 14 years broke down as a result of my disability. Life became very difficult, and I almost lost hope.

"But now things are beginning to align again. I'm so excited [about] this new chapter of my life. I can’t wait to get a new job and be able to provide for my two children whom I struggled to take care of with my disability grant. My life has truly been restored,” he said.

Zimele founder Dr Sarah Whitehead said the fundraising dance, coinciding with World Disability Day, was to create awareness about the inclusion of the disabled and “get the conversation about disability going”. 

“It’s about creating awareness that disability is just a part of humanity’s diversity - hence able-bodied and disabled people are all included in the dancing in whichever way they choose to participate.”

Whitehead, who also lives with a disability and describes herself as a disability advocate, said there’s a great need to help restore the mobility of many disabled people, mostly who depended on the public healthcare system and can’t afford to fund their own prosthetics.  

Whitehead was diagnosed with developmental venous anomaly when she was in matric at Herschel Girls' High School in Cape Town. The condition impairs her mobility and balance, and her symptoms worsened when she was at the University of Cape Town medical school. 

Though relatively new, Whitehead said Zimele NPO had so far helped about 10 amputees with rehabilitation services and prosthesis.  

“The need for our services is huge in South Africa. We are continually looking for funding through corporate CSI programmes or private trusts. It’s not easy to access funding, especially in the public sector, for a rehabilitation and disability NPO.” 

For many disadvantaged amputees who either do not qualify for the public healthcare sector’s stringent criteria or don’t get the care they need for physical and psychological  rehabilitation, the Zimele initiative is life-changing. 

“Considering being dependent on crutches for years, you would not even be able to carry a cup of coffee. Think of the frustration of not being able to use your hands too. Then consider the amputees using wheelchairs. 

“As a part-time wheelchair user myself I can tell you that we live in a world where the majority of places are not designed for wheelchair users,” she added.