Jg Oosthuizen has become the first quadriplegic to complete the 94.7 Joburg Ride being pulled in a chariot; his aunt helped him finish the race.
Johannesburg, South Africa – Jg Oosthuizen has inspired hundreds of people with his story and how he finally got to achieve his goal of completing the Discovery 94.7 Joburg Ride all thanks to his aunt.
In 2016, while gearing up for the start of Matric, Jg was in Mossel Bay on holiday. Tragedy struck, and he broke his neck while playing a game on Diaz Beach with his brother, cousin and best friend. They had been standing on each other’s arms, jumping into the air, doing flips and landing on the beach or into the ocean.
It had been Jg’s friend who was up next, but he said he was tired and would just watch. Instead, Jg climbed up the human pyramid and joked with his friend saying “Come on bud you’ve got to live life to the fullest, what’s the worst that could happen?”. These words still haunt his friend to this day. Moments later, Jg fell, shattering his C5 vertebrae into hundreds of pieces, leaving him paralysed for life.
Jg has been a quadriplegic for nearing on four years now, and he is still honouring his words, living life to the fullest. Jg became determined to lead a normal life and continued to push through all of life’s hardships.
Anita Heyl confirmed that Jg’s story is one of determination and perseverance through adversity. A very courageous and inspirational young man with a lovely positive personality, full of quirks and great humour.
Jg set himself the goal of completing the Discovery 94.7 Joburg Ride and this weekend was able to claim his victory. Jg and his aunt worked hard to make his dream a reality. She has been cycling for years, so she joined Jg to make his goal a reality. We asked him how long he and his aunt trained for, as carrying an additional load would have needed all new training.
“My aunt has been training for years but we have been training together for about 2 – 3 months waking up super early every Saturday morning to train.”
All their training paid off, and Jg was able to celebrate finishing the cycle race this Sunday. He took to social media to thank everyone who helped him reach his goal. It was an experience he will never forget!
“What an unbelievable experience yesterday! Even though I might be battered, bruised and badly burnt. I reached one of many goals, which was to become the first-ever Quadriplegic to finish the 94.7 #joburgride in a chariot!! I can’t thank the amazing team of @trojansneurologicaltrust and my courageous aunt (who pulled me all the way) enough for allowing me to achieve this dream, the only disability in life is a bad attitude!!”
We asked Jg about what comes next, what are his goals for the future.
“One of the other goals was to start studying at University and I was lucky to start my first year of studying Psychological Counselling at Unisa this year as well. Another goal was also to try and get into Top Model South Africa as a Finalist for their Models of Diversity category and luckily enough I was picked as a Finalist to compete in the Finale next year on the 27th of February.
My other goals include me being able to one day push myself in my own wheelchair because I’m currently using an electrical wheelchair because my right arm isn’t strong enough yet. When I’m capable of pushing my own chair then I’ll be able to take part in wheelchair sports which is probably my biggest goal of all, that and becoming independent.”
Lastly, we spoke to Jg about what advice he has for anyone looking to accomplish their goals.
“There are many wonderful quotes to use but probably my two favourite ones are, “What the mind believes the body achieves” and “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right”. The advice that I’d give coming from these quotes would be that no matter your circumstances or difficulties in life, if you put your mind and energy to it then a world of possibilities will open up for you”
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