Amputees take on ‘impossible’ 3 000km walk from Pretoria to Cape Town

TWO amputees, five months and three thousand kilometres – this is what Mike Minnie and Paul Steyn are doing in order to raise awareness and funds to aid in getting amputees walking again.

The journey from Pretoria to Cape Town started on June 26 and has been somewhat remarkable in the sense that six people’s lives have already been changed for ever.

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Thanks to the funds raised so far, six out of the total of 10 people chosen have been able to receive prosthetic legs which will greatly improve their overall quality of life, something Mike says is simply empowering and completely rewarding.

The journey so far has not gone by without its hiccups. After completing little over half of the journey, founder of the Paul Steyn Foundation and co-walker and cyclist, Paul, developed an abscess in his knee and has had to be called off from taking part in the journey for a short period while he recovers from surgery, which was scheduled for August 30.

It is expected that, should everything go smoothly, Paul will rejoin Mike on the road once he reaches Jeffreys Bay.

Mike, an above knee amputee, lost his leg a few years ago after he was involved in a motorcycle accident. He heard of an abled bodies versus disabled bodies an Easter Weekend charity walk at Sani Pass, which was where he met Paul and was introduced into what the foundation was all about. It was then that they decided to embark on this journey together.

Now, the duo, aided by their trusted vehicle support driver, Lourens Delport, are on a journey to help amputees get back on their ‘feet’.

Mike and Lourens arrived in Pennington last Saturday and explained that, although the journey is amazing, it can be strenuous, especially for Mike who uses 100 percent more energy to keep moving than an able-bodied person.

Despite all the difficulties, especially weather conditions, the team agree that the goal is really rewarding.

While travelling to Cape Town, the team will also be hosting talks at various school, churches and community organisations and will be travelling through towns such as East London, Port Alfred, Port Elizabeth, George, Hermanus and Stellenbosch. The team relies heavily on donations to keep the good walk going and are still in need of accommodation as they make their way to Cape Town.

To date, six people have received their prosthetic limbs, each valued at over R100 000, with over a thousand people on their database in need of assistance the foundation really needs all the help it can get.

If you would like to donate to the cause, all you have to do is SMS ‘walk’ to 38021 and by doing so, you will have donated R10. For more information on their journey, visit https://www.paulsteynfoundation.org.za

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