Mncedisi needs help to be mobile again

The mother of Mncedisi Myeni (25) has the same wish for her son, but also has one special request for him – a wheelchair.

The Zenzele resident has outgrown his wheelchair, which has been repaired by neighbours countless times.

The City Times was alerted to Myeni’s plight by the founder of the Ekukhanyeni Day Care and Community Project, Sello Kube, whose non-profit organisation strives to assist families in the area.

“We try to take care of orphaned children, people with disabilities as well as vulnerable families; I met Mncedisi’s family in 2003 and we tried to assist them where we could,” explained Kube.

According to Myeni’s mother, who did not want to be named, he was born with his disability and his speech was not as good as that of other children, but, from a young age, his hearing was always the most developed of his senses.

She explained that she started taking him to the King Edward VIII Hospital, in KwaZulu-Natal, when she noticed that his legs were not developing as they should.

When the family moved to Gauteng, she took her son, who was about two months old at the time, to the Rahima Moosa Mother And Child Hospital (formerly Coronationville Hospital) and they suggested amputation of the underdeveloped legs.

“I was not certain that would be the best option for him so I declined the suggestion,” she said.

Myeni was then taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and his mother explained that the doctors attempted to straighten his legs by inserting pins into them, however, there was a strike at the hospital and they could not continue with the treatment.

Myeni started attending Usizo Lwethu School and was given a wheelchair, which made moving around a bit easier for him.

“He was at the school for some time, but I decided to take him out of the school as the transport could not drop him off closer to home and it became unsafe for him to be dropped near the graveyard,” his mother said.

“I enrolled him for a short while in a school in Brakpan, but it was a private school, so I was unable to afford the fees and transport costs,” she explained.

He then stayed home with his mother and his older sisters would teach him, but he lost interest in his home classes after he lost his hearing.

“In 2007, we were coming back to Johannesburg from visiting in KwaZulu-Natal and we were involved in a car accident,” the mother said.

Mncedisi was bleeding a lot through his nose and when he was taken to hospital it was discovered that he had lost his hearing.”

Although he can no longer hear, he is still able to communicate and can read lips very well.

“He is bright and, although I had many hopes and dreams for my son, I now just hope he’ll get another working wheelchair, so he can move around a bit and visit a few friends,” she smiled.

If you are able to assist the Myeni family with their request for a wheelchair, contact Kube, on 073 962 1018.