Mbombela man recovers from stroke, gets on bike and has an accident

Just 18 days after suffering a mild stroke, a local man was in an accident, leaving him with serious injuries, a pending operation, a slew of surgeries and a hefty hospital bill.  Hugo Greyling (40) had recently recovered from a mild stroke he suffered on May 10 this year, landing him in Rob Ferreira Hospital for a few days.

Wanting to get back to living his life to the fullest, Greyling hopped on his motorbike on May 28 for a short ride through town, when a taxi collided with him. Speaking with Lowvelder, a friend of Greyling’s, Janine Potgieter, said a taxi had changed lanes right in front of Greyling. He could not brake in time and collided into the back of the taxi.  He was admitted to Rob Ferreira Hospital again.

Potgieter said Greyling and his family had faced financial difficulty during the start of the pandemic and cancelled their medical aid. She said Greyling sustained multiple serious injuries as a result of the accident.  “He broke his tibia, fibia, hand, and worst of all, his femur pushed through his hip and shattered everything,” said Potgieter.

ALSO READ: Paralympic swimmer sets new African record and wins bronze in Spain

“He needs various surgeries and a hip replacement. He was on a waiting list for at least two months before the operation could be done at the state hospital. “Because he had to lie still on his back for such a long time and could not be moved, we were afraid of bedsores and infection, which would dramatically worsen the situation,” she said.  Greyling is the sole provider for his wife and children, and with him being in hospital there is no source of income to look after the family.

“We needed to raise R500 000 to move him to a private hospital and have the operations done as soon as possible.  “Between ourselves, we have managed to raise an amount of R140 000, but still need a considerable amount.”

They started a BackaBuddy campaign as well, but Potgieter said they realised this might not happen fast enough and another friend got into contact with AcciCare. They said they would be able to provide 65% of the money if the family could make up the other 35%.

ALSO READ: Mbombela’s CANSA Relay remembers, honours and celebrates

If the Road Accident Fund does not pay out the 65% claim from AcciCare, the family will be responsible for that as well.  Hugo was transferred to Kiaat Hospital on June 8.  He has had an ankle and a hand operation and had the first of two hip operations on June 15.  Other fundraising initiatives include a Biker Boot Run at Bush Baby on June 18, Rhino Racing Apparel that had shirts made for the fundraiser and a Young Guns Poker Run on July 30.

The funds raised will also go towards an electric wheelchair for Greyling as he will not be able to walk for a long time, and will be unable to use his one arm, which rules out crutches.  To help in any way with these fundraising initiatives, contact Potgieter at janinepotgieter72@webmail.co.za.  

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@lowvelder.co.za.

For free breaking and community news, visit Lowvelder’s website: Lowvelder

For more news and interesting articles, like Lowvelder on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram