Down, but never out!

Richard Battersby (63) from Hamberg exemplifies resilience and indestructibility. Despite all the adversity he has faced, he still manages to smile.

Richard is a father, grandfather, and uncle with a ‘get up and go on’ attitude, and has been through it all. He was hijacked and lost his home through a divorce but still manages to take care of his children.

Richard works in Fourways and must commute to and from work, which is not always simple because he does not always have the resources to get to work every day, forcing him to sometimes sleep in a warehouse closer to work.

“On top of this, Richard has been diagnosed with skin cancer, and melanoma, and has quite an aggressive lesion on his face, but because he needs to depend on our government’s medical system, the wait to see a doctor is ongoing and he simply cannot afford to miss a day of work as ‘no work equals no pay’,” Samantha Ackerman, his niece said.

She said that she thought it fit to start a BackABuddy campaign in hopes to raise funds for him to get a tiny vehicle and pay off the stolen car’s loan and is determined to fast-track his medical application by raising funds to get him to see a private doctor to have the cancerous lesion removed.

She added that his eyesight and hearing are also deteriorating and attributes this to his profession.

“Richard never complains and never feels sorry for himself, he never asks for help and would rather give his last R10 to someone else than use it for himself,” Samantha cited.

Samantha pleads with the community to assist with a transport option and to raise money for his medical process. She also calls for assistance with perhaps a TV that he and his grandchild could enjoy together.

“… Or if you would like to contribute financially to assist Richard to get a vehicle, it would mean a lot,” she added.

Additional information is available at this link: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/richard-battersby