Kind act helps stroke survivor flourish
Marcel explained that the project has made him understand how important it is to help others.
An employee at a local motor vehicle manufacturing company is living proof that ordinary folk can make a big difference in other people’s lives.
Marcel Roux, who works in the parts department at Toyota Carnival, was recently tasked with a social responsibility project as part of a work assignment.
Marcel decided to help Dirk du Plessis, a 70-year-old Brakpan resident who, following a stroke, has been unable to continue running his own business and generate an income to support himself and his family.
Dirk ran the business, Impala Electric, for 43 years.
“He struggled to be housebound and loved walking around in his garden, but the yard was taken up by an old, empty swimming pool and his family were concerned that he would fall into the hole,” said Marcel, who also lives in Brakpan.
“This also prevented him from doing the necessary exercise that was prescribed by his health care providers.
“He was further unable to do anything about the situation due to his limited income.”
Marcel decided to restore the garden and the project included cleaning the entire backyard, filling in the swimming pool, painting the walls, planting flowers and grass, extending the boundary walls and cleaning up the building rubble.
“I consulted with the du Plessis family to determine what they wanted to achieve and then approached Toyota management to assist with the project and they agreed to contribute towards the purchase of some of the building material,” said Marcel.
“I then got people involved to assist and sourced the required building material.
“We worked every weekend and on public holidays to complete the project.”
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Marcel told the Herald that Dirk became very involved in the activities.
“It lifted his spirits tremendously and he was waiting for us to arrive each morning with a big smile on his face,” he said.
“He was extremely excited and could hardly wait for the project to be completed.”
The project took just over a month to complete.
“Dirk now spends a lot of time outside in the garden and does his daily exercises in the back garden,” said Marcel.
“He waters the grass and flowers every day and has a new purpose in life.
“His mobility is improving daily and I believe this will go a long way in improving his health going forward.”
Marcel explained that the project has made him understand how important it is to help others.
“For me personally, it made me realise how short life is and that we must always reach out to other members of our community who are less fortunate,” he said.
“The time that I spent at Dirk’s house brought such joy to both of us.
“I realised that something small can make a big difference in another person’s life and I believe this is what we have managed to achieve through this project.”
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