For someone who rarely shows his emotions, Friday, July 17, was one of the few days they got the better of me.

I had just wrapped up an interview with teenager Kaylib Timm, who urgently needs a new prosthetic leg. Before leaving, I asked him to take a short walk while I recorded a video to show readers the extent of his discomfort.

Watching Kaylib swing his leg when he should simply be putting one foot in front of the other, hit me harder than I expected.

It was one of those moments that stay with you long after the interview ends.

We should help Kaylib get a new leg. He deserves to live comfortably. More than that, he deserves the freedom to enjoy being a teenager. He is a remarkable young man with a passion for football and running, and despite everything life has thrown at him, his spirit remains unbroken.

I first met Kaylib in 2022 when I interviewed him after the Jumping Kids Prosthetic Fund donated him a prosthetic leg. Even then, it was obvious he was destined for great things.

His right leg was amputated five months into a 12-month chemotherapy battle after he was diagnosed with stage three Ewing’s sarcoma. The cancer had started in the lower bone before spreading to the bone marrow, leaving doctors with no choice but to amputate to stop it from reaching his lungs.

Cancer robbed him of much of his childhood and the comfort many of us take for granted. Yet it never robbed him of his optimism.

Kaylib has always chosen to look beyond his circumstances because there truly is no “dis” in his ability.

Meeting him again reminded me of my best friend, Tshepang Joubert, who lost an arm in a house fire when he was young. We met in Grade Six in 2004 and became inseparable after he moved into my neighbourhood in Tsakane.

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To us, Tshepang was never defined by his disability. He was simply our friend.

We played football together, although it quickly became clear that he was the far better player. He had a thunderous shot, mesmerising dribbling ability and a vision on the field that reminded me of Zinedine Zidane.

As life took us in different directions, I pursued journalism while Tshepang discovered athletics. Before long, he had become one of South Africa’s top para-sprinters, winning national medals and proudly representing the country in Portugal in 2017.

He achieved those milestones because he had people who believed in him. His parents encouraged him to live without limits, and those around him saw ability before disability.

Kaylib deserves that same opportunity.

He shouldn’t have to worry about whether he can walk comfortably or chase a football with his friends. He should be focused on the ordinary adventures that come with being a teenager.

When I watched him walk on Friday, I couldn’t help but imagine what he could become with the right support. I genuinely believe he has the determination and work ethic to develop into an outstanding T63 sprinter. One day, perhaps even a Paralympian.

But first, he needs a new leg.

Let’s give this remarkable young man the chance to keep chasing his dreams.

Let’s get Kaylib mobile again, Benoni.

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