Zan the Man gets new wheels
Community members come together to help get 'Zan the Man' new wheels
In 2020, Zander Teubes, aka ‘Zan the Man’, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which causes skeletal and heart muscle weakness and it progressively worsens.
He needed a wheelchair to move around and he can now finally celebrate his new wheels.
Due to this condition, Zan the Man relies on an electronic wheelchair to move around the house. After his diagnosis at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zan’s mother, Liezel, sought help from the public for medical costs.
Cornel Harrison set up a BackaBuddy fundraising campaign and Kristy Goncalves, a family friend, set up a GoFundMe account for public donations and promoted the campaign on social media.
The campaign yielded results and Goncalves posted on Facebook, “Zan has finally received his wheelchair and couldn’t be happier. We are beyond grateful for the incredible support from family, friends and strangers.
Whether you donated to our campaign, shared posts or helped spread the word, each of you played a crucial role in making this happen,” read the post.
Goncalves thanked Chris at Wheelchairs on The Run for reaching out, offering their services at a discounted rate, and customising the wheelchair to suit Zan’s preferences.
“You have done an outstanding job. My heart is full, knowing how many people came together to make this happen,” concluded the post.
Liezel and Cornel are grateful that the new chair can make Zander’s life more comfortable, despite all the other challenges.
“This new electronic wheelchair weighs 25kg making it easier for us to get it in and out of the car, making it possible for Zander to travel and go places with us. He is no longer only stuck at home.
“We were also able to purchase a chair for his shower and mobile telescopic ramps.
“We also want to thank Ruhan Steenkamp (aka Seun) who sponsored a steel ramp so Zander can move from indoors to the outdoor patio and braai area,” said Liezel.
• The Alberton Record wishes to apologise for wrong information and incorrect facts previously published in an online article about Zander’s new chair.
