Local bikers give Andrew a leg up

Kempton Park resident Andrew Jansen van Vuuren will now be able to walk and enjoy his life without any discomfort after being gifted a prosthesis, thanks to the Roof Scoot, nine bikers from Benoni.

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Andrew lost his leg in January when a car crashed into his quadbike and severed his foot.

His leg was amputated from just under the knee. Using his boiler-making skills, he constructed his own metal leg to help him go to work.

The sole breadwinner after his fiancée was retrenched during the lockdown, after two surgeries and many obstacles, the father of two was back at work a month after his ordeal to fend for his family.

With one income stream, Andrew supplemented their income by running a fast food shop at the Erora MX Track in Kempton Park.

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His story touched the Roof Scoot’s Gavin Naudè so much because instead of sitting idle and begging for help, he took an initiative and decided to help himself.

“That’s what I admire about him. He’s never asked for anything. One month after his amputation, he was hopping around in one leg serving boerewors rolls helping his family. He’s an inspiration to many.

“The days of waiting for someone to help you are over. If you need something, take an initiative and help yourself.

“People must change their mindset that they need handouts. If that attitude changes, there’ll be a change in our society,” he said.

Roof Scoot’s fundraising initiative

The team decided to take a fun ride on Honda Ace 125 delivery bikes to spectate the Roof of Africa enduro race in Lesotho last month.

While planning their adventure, Gavin and the team decided to turn it into a philanthropic initiative. They were told about Andrew’s story by the owner of Erora.

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“I saw him struggling with his metal leg and told him we want to assist him. I told him we will turn our adventure into a charity ride to raise money to try get him a prosthesis. He was overwhelmed by this,” he said.

Along with Zane Groenewald, they set up a BackaBuddy profile. With this, they struck gold before their journey to the Mountain Kingdom.

“A week before we left, we did a fundraising evening at Butcher’s Backyard where we raised some funds for Andrew.

“Crusaders Motorcycle Club also donated a prosthesis which was given to them by Slade and Marlene Blazons. It was a huge relief as a new leg would have cost us R100 000.”

The 39-year old will now enjoy a pain-free festive season after the team approached Benoni orthotics Anton Visser to modify the leg to accommodate his stump as well as a new prosthetic leg.

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Despite this, more funds are still needed to help Andrew as his prosthesis will need liners, which need to be replaced yearly and perhaps a revision surgery in the future.

“Our goal with BackaBuddy was to raise around R200 000. We’d like to continue with the fundraising,” Gavin stated.

Andrew the philanthropist

As they got to know him, Gavin and his team were touched to learn that Andrew also gives back to the needy despite his financial situation.

“Even though they don’t have much, when they have left over food at their store, they make up food parcels to feed the homeless.

“They also took in a homeless man, allowing him to stay in their shop to act as their security and cleaner. In return he gets daily meals and a salary.”

The Roof Scoot has decided to make this a yearly event with a different person benefitting each year.

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“We were going into this journey to have fun and it’s just evolved into something that’s become great.

We received a lot of help from many entities, including Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre.

“None of us could’ve imagined how big this idea could’ve grown. We’ve decided to make it an annual event,” Gavin said.

“Andrew was in excruciating pain from the leg he manufactured himself.

“Now he can work a full day without any pain. In essence, we have changed his life. I challenge every business owner to start a similar initiative because it’s rewarding and potentially life changing.”

To make a contribution go to: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/andrew-jansen-van-vuuren

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