COLIN Maule, a resident of Glenvista, was a runner quite a few years back and managed to collect over 475 medals and about 150 badges while he was running races, both locally and nationally.
All his medals he kept in bags in a storage place, collecting dust, and he hadn’t a clue what to do with them.
Recently while he was browsing Facebook he happened upon a post by a doctor, Leonel Paulo De Caires. The post read: “You train, you run, you get a medal … and then it’s forgotten in the bottom drawer of your cupboard, collecting dust. What if those medals could be put to better use?
“I’m a doctor working in government hospitals in Cape Town. I’ll be collecting all old medals which will be used as ‘bravery’ rewards for children after they have had their operations. I’ll pass them on to an organisation that already assists with the distribution to the operated little ones. I’m looking at starting to introduce the idea into the emergency rooms now too. It’s a chaotic environment that’s quite overwhelming for children at times. Why not give them a medal of bravery after they get their casts put on or have a procedure done in the emergency centre? Let’s turn a scary experience into something a little more light-hearted and rewarding for the little ones who are affected.
“Please tag your running/cycling /bodybuilding friends and share this post. Contact me with your medals and I’ll organise the rest.”
Colin contacted Leonel and was given the contact details of a friend of his in Johannesburg. He phoned Louw Breytenbach and arranged through him to drop his medals off in Boksburg and from there they will be sent to Leonel in Cape Town or handed out in hospitals in Johannesburg and surrounding areas.
“For years I’ve wondered what to do with all my medals and when I saw this post it was a dream come true for me,” said Colin. “There are only a few I wish to keep, and two of those were for my Comrades Marathon runs.”
Make them smile
The CHRONICLE spoke to Leonel asking him a little about himself.
“I’ve been a doctor for eight years graduating in 2010 in Johannesburg at the University of the Witwatersrand. I am currently specialising in emergency medicine in Cape Town. Most of my time is spent seeing trauma and medical emergency cases in different emergency departments. Children arrive scared, often in pain and are completely overwhelmed by their surrounding environment. I asked myself what I could do to try and make this whole situation a little better for the young ones. I’m hoping it’ll not only make them smile but will allow me to win them over too,” he said.
“After my Facebook status, I woke up to it being shared over a 1 000 times. People have really grasped this idea with both hands and have really run with it. It’s simple and best of all, cheap. It doesn’t require you to go out and spend money and these random medals just lie around collecting dust. It exploded and has expanded into both Jozi and Durbs. If anyone in Joburg is keen to start it up, by all means, feel free to copy my post and claim it. Let’s spread the love. I do have someone who has really been great and started the collection in Joburg and will be helping to distribute them throughout Joburg hospitals,” he added.
“When I’m not working you’ll find me exploring the streets of Cape Town, hiking up another mountain, getting involved in some charity work or just being a lazy man basking in the sun on the beach. Travel, exploring and helping where I can is what I live for.
“If people want to see some of the medal distributions or want to be on the lookout for other projects I get involved in, they are welcome to check out my Instagram where I often post photos, videos and events on my stories @Dr_leo_sa”
If you have medals you no longer have a use for and would like to donate to this fantastic cause, you can email Louw on: louwbreytenbach@gmail.com or phone him on 074 101 8165. One of the drop-off points is LALT Theatre House, 20 Bartlett Road, Beyers Park, Boksburg.
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