Mooi River farmer and ex-sharks rugby player, Ryan Walker, is paying it forward to help a fellow South African get back her mobility.
Mooi River, South Africa – Crippled with Cerebral Palsy, Sbahle Dladla, an 11-year old school girl at Bruntville Primary in Mooi River, was the recipient of a new motorised wheelchair last week after local Mooi River farmer Ryan Walker decided it was time to pay it forward.
Ryan, farmer and ex-sharks rugby player is currently living with Motor Neuron Disease (MND/ALS). He was diagnosed in August 2013 at the age of 35. MND is the name given to a group of diseases in which the nerve cells (neurones) that control muscles degenerate and die. This rare condition attacks the central nervous system, causing progressive disability. There is no known cure.
Together with his family, and through the Ryan Walker Foundation, he wishes to create awareness about the disease and contribute where possible to the MND/ALS community.
The chair, previously donated to the Foundation for Ryan, will now make it easier for its new owner, Sbahle and her carers to get around and lead as normal a life as her debilitating disease allows.
Ryan understands the plight of Sbahle and her carers all too well as a result of the physical restrictions endured by sufferers of both Cerebral Palsy and MND.
“To be in a position to help someone like Sbahle who suffers with a physically oppressive condition similar to my own, is extremely gratifying,” said Ryan.
“I understand first-hand what she goes through every day from a physical and psychological perspective and I hope this chair can ease the burden of her difficulties to some degree.”
The Ryan Walker Foundation, supported by the Southern Lodestar Foundation, was established to raise awareness about MND and facilitate research into the latest treatments and drugs on the market.
Visit www.ryanwalker.co.za to find out more.
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