Junior Nkuna gets new wheels from foundations after a long struggle
DIEPSLOOT – The 16-year-old's mother said her son was diagnosed with tuberculosis and later developed an illness that affected his mobility.
The mother of 16-year-old Junior Nkuna, thanked two foundations that partnered and donated a brand new wheelchair to her son.
Kate Nkuna lives in a one-room informal home with her children in Diepsloot. She said her son was diagnosed with tuberculosis and later developed an illness that forced him to use a wheelchair and spend most of his time in bed. The wheelchair was donated on September 22 by Ikemeleng Foundation and Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The mother of three said her son was born healthy and normal like any other child. “One day, Junior came back from school with an injury in his toe. Since then, he started developing different types of sicknesses in his body. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) but, after undergoing treatment, he developed strange sickness that locked his knees,” said the mother of three.
She the new wheelchair will make improve her child’s mobility. For a long time, he had been using an old wheelchair that was torn and difficult to move around. “We are very grateful to Ikemeleng and Nelson Mandela foundations for this special gift of new wheels. It will help enable him to move around the house easier,” said Nkuna.
Ikemeleng Foundation co-founder Percy Malepe said he was touched by Junior’s story. “When I saw Junior after his mother told me about their daily struggles to move him around, I couldn’t sleep. I called someone who connected me with Nelson Mandela Foundation which donated the wheelchair for Junior,” he said.
Junior echoed his excitement and indicated that he was hoping to go back to school one day to complete his Grade 12 and study medicine. “I would like to go back to school one day and become a doctor to help other people. There are many people out there who are going through what I am going through,” he said.
