Botha’s Hill mouth-painter gives boy his first wheelchair
The resident, who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, donated her wheelchair to a 12-year-old boy in need.
GILLY Pierce, the Botha’s Hill woman who, since losing the use of her limbs, and most muscles in her body as a result of the debilitating disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), paints using her mouth.
She works hard to earn what she can to contribute towards the high costs of the equipment and care she needs and to help others because she isn’t content to just wait for people to help her
“I’m really so blessed,” said Gilly with a twinkle in her eye about the care home where she lives and paints. “This is the best place in the world for me.”
When she recently needed to upgrade her wheelchair, Gilly immediately decided her old chair needed to go to someone who would be able to make use of it to significantly help improve their lives.
She was assisted in finding the perfect recipient by Vuyo Ngwedane, a member of Waterfall Methodist Church who sings in the worship group which Gilly’s primary carer, Jackie Pollitt is also a member of.
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Jackie and her husband, Mervyn, fund-raise to help pay for Gilly’s care, and they also brought Vuyo to the care home where she lives to sing to residents where he met Gilly. She told him of her desire to help someone with the donation of her old wheel-chair. Vuyo said he knew of a little boy who was in great need of a wheelchair.
“I really could relate to the story of the little boy,” said Gilly. “He had been moving around by dragging himself on his bottom, and when I first was diagnosed I lived in a flat where I used to drag myself up the stairs on my bum, so I felt enormous empathy for his plight.”
Jackie, who was present when Gilly’s wheelchair was given to the 12-year-old Samkelo Mthethwa, said his mother, Brenda was overwhelmed at the kindness of the donation.
“She didn’t say too much at the time, but Vuyo shared with me later that she had told him she wasn’t able to speak for fear of emotion overtaking her and beginning to cry,” said Jackie.
Gilly related how she had been slowly losing control over her body due to MS.
“When I finally got a diagnosis after almost four years of visiting specialists and tests, I was given reading matter to let me know what I might expect,” she said. “I never believed all these things could actually happen to me, but almost all of them have. It wasn’t very happy reading-material,” she said in her matter-of-fact, yet quietly resilient manner.
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Today Gilly can only move her head. Yet she never misses an opportunity to crack a joke or offer words of inspiration to others. She speaks to groups ranging from small school children to adults, and all are inspired by her story and achievements.
“I’m keen to be able to support myself, but my options are limited, of course,” she said, yet she never gives up and is an inspiration to all who meet her. With her dwindling finances, Gilly wanted to do something to support herself, but her options were limited.
“When I first started painting, I didn’t even know that you mixed blue and yellow to make green,” said Gilly remembering how daunting it was when she first tried to paint.
“I was far more interested in the tennis court and horse riding than art classes when I was young,” she laughed.
Today her art has travelled all over the world and is highly regarded by amateurs and experts alike.
Jackie took Gilly to a meeting of the Highway Art Group where the members were astonished at the artistic merit of her work.
To find out how to buy some of her artwork, or order cards printed with some of her most popular paintings, and help Gilly to support herself, contact Jackie on 082 653 3784.
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