Teen to be honoured in song
An East London family will this weekend host a star-studded music concert in honour of a 15year-old girl living with cerebral palsy.
The Sound Explosion concert, happening at the Orient Theatre at 6pm on Saturday, is set to be a memorable music experience for East Londoners, featuring former Idols SA contestants Loyiso Gijana, Bevin Samuels and Keegan Martin, as well as season 12 winner Noma Khumalo. Martin said the male trio of contestants who formed the group 156 – their Idols voting numbers – were excited to be coming to town for a show with a greater purpose.
“We realised that people loved seeing us together so we decided to form something new. There aren’t many boy bands around. We’re excited to be coming down for a show with such a unique purpose. It’s not just about the music but the bigger picture,” Martin said.
For the Van der Byl family, however, the concert is set to tick the biggest item on their teenager’s bucket list.
Amber, of Buffalo Flats, was born with athetoid quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a condition that affects her central nervous system and has left her with impaired gross and fine motor skills, including speech.
But her aunt, Lioni, said the young girl continued to overcome all the odds.
“She has learnt to use her feet to type, text and write.
“Even though she’s physically trapped, she loves to celebrate life through music,” her aunt said. Lioni said they pulled out all the stops to make the concert a celebration of the teen’s bravery and raise money for the specialised equipment she needs to make her life more comfortable.
“As an avid Idols SA follower, one of Amber’s biggest wishes was to experience some of the contestants singing live, so we approached the former contestants and asked them to make our little girl’s wish come true. Local hip-hop groups and musicians also came on board.”
She said money raised would also go towards opening a school that would offer a mainstream school curriculum for disabled children in East London. Tickets cost R100 at the door.
Even though she’s physically trapped, she loves to celebrate life through music