Moffat View based safety ambassador Isaac shares a smile with us

Safety ambassador Isaac Davis (54), who is based at Moffat View police station, lives his life to the fullest without any regrets.

He said he might be living with a disability but he still makes sure he lives his life purposefully. This Southerner was born in Riverlea and came to South Hills in 1995.

Tragic incident

Davis life changed drastically 27 years ago through a tragic incident where he was shot twice – in the stomach and neck – at a 21st birthday celebration in South Hills.

“I think jealousy and drug influence drove the person who shot me. He was using Mandrax. This is a guy I knew very well. There was a tremendous change in my life, from a person who could walk to a wheelchair.

“As I was recovering, I thought of my family, my wife and children. I needed to be strong for them as well as for me because it was not the end of the world. You can’t accept what happened, yet need to go on with the life God has given you. It could have been worse,” he said.

Taking life positively

He used to be a bodybuilder instructor at MidCity Gym in central Johannesburg. All that was shattered in a flash.

“I spent six months in hospital. I used to encourage myself to be positive through prayer. The social workers who were attending to me also used to encourage me as they saw potential in me. They even asked me to talk to one of the patients who was suicidal after his ordeal. I motivated him and told him there is much to live for.

“We then became friends and I showed him the importance of life. I told him my story and he also appreciated the gift of life. He told me that he will live his life to the fullest. Although in a wheelchair, he went out of that hospital driving his car that was converted to suit his situation,” explained Davis.

Challenges

There are challenges that he faces more than often. “I get pressure sores on the back and on the side. This is a huge problem. I lost lots of friends because of this. The blood doesn’t circulate normally. You need to know when you have this so that you can do something to ease it, like lying on your stomach.

“Other challenges include surfaces which aren’t flat for our wheelchairs, people who parked in a clearly marked disabled parking and wheelchair-friendly environments in malls, work, offices and in general.

“We don’t want to feel like a burden to people because we are able to do most of the things ourselves,” he said.

Davis said there is support around him although sometimes family can be traumatised in their own way. “We need to educate our families and those around us. They see things from you. When you are good and give good energy they reciprocate that to you as well. But there are times when I’m feeling down and low. In that instance, I just go to my room and take a nap.”

Successes

Davis prides himself on the work he is doing in the community. He works hand in hand with the police and helps the community with queries.

“My biggest success is to overcome any obstacle in my way. I’m still doing things I was doing before in a different way. Things like training and doing chores like cleaning the yard. I have accepted that this is my life.

“Able people need to view us as part of them, come to and chat with us. They must not look at us differently, we are normal in our own way,” he noted.

Davis has a wife and two children, aged 31 and 25.