“Tap Into That Positive Thought, No Matter What You Hear.” Kelvin van Baalen isn’t just a burn survivor who’s back on his feet. He’s someone with an incredible philosophy that we can all take notes from!
Johannesburg (11 May, 2023) — Speaking to Kelvin van Baalen you might think that he sounds just like any other young man, working, studying and busy building a future. But Kelvin’s story is very different to that of most – he is a burn survivor whose journey of recovery is a testament to the power of the human spirit.
This June marks five years since the event that changed Kelvin’s life forever.
Just weeks after celebrating his 21st birthday, he was competing in a paragliding competition when he collided with power lines.
After the impact, Kelvin lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was surrounded and engulfed by flames. Still strapped into his paragliding harness, Kelvin managed to unbuckle himself and crawl out of the wreckage, but the level of his injuries left him fighting for his life.
He had sustained burns to two-thirds of his body.
Katinka Rheeder, a specialist nurse and manager of the dedicated burns unit at Netcare Milpark Hospital where Kelvin spent over a year receiving treatment shared:
“When Kelvin arrived here he had sustained severe burns to approximately two-thirds of his body surface. Local trauma statistics indicated a mere 30% predicted survival rate for burn injuries of this extent and severity.”
Katnika added that his skin couldn’t regenerate either.
Kelvin would spend a month in a medically-induced coma, undergo over 27 surgeries and a lot of intensive physiotherapy and ancillary health support.
After over 300 days since the accident, he was finally able to come off ventilation and take his first steps!
Despite the incredible care he received, another huge boost in his recovery was his will over his own mind.
Even after coming home, it wasn’t the end of “digging deep” for Kelvin.
“I had to push myself to walk around our house, adding more laps each day. Well, it was worth it – I can now walk around the entire golf course.”—Kelvin van Baalen.
Kelvin’s message to other burns survivors who are at the start of their journey is this:
“Believe in yourself, in your inner strength and tap into that positive thought, no matter what you might hear. The beginning is tough but the progress is exponential – it starts slowly and then it takes off like a rocket.
“I also believe in the power of body positivity. I do not allow my burns to hold me back from living life to the fullest. I play golf in shorts because I want to feel comfortable and play well. You can’t change what happened, but you can embrace what you have achieved. It’s all part of your story,” he concludes.”
Kelvin is also incredibly excited to be reunited with his sport.
“I love golf and play regularly, at least once every week, and I recently became an ambassador for the Country Club Johannesburg, participating in disabled tournaments. I am currently playing a two handicap, surpassing a lot of the top players who don’t have any physical constraints – I think they are now a little wary of my skill level,” he laughs.
According to Rheeder, due to the highly complex nature of burns injuries, caring for burns patients requires a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, dieticians, physical therapists, clinical psychologists and others, working together in a specialised burns treatment environment.
“We have to be pillars of strength for one another so that we can provide our patients with the compassion and dedication they need to heal. Ultimately, we are united in our goal to not only save the lives of patients like Kelvin but to see them on the road to a future where they can live active lives once more.” —Katnika Rheeder.
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