Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Atlantis amputee eager to compete with other athletes
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Aubrey Meyer is just like any other boy his age.
The youngster from Atlantis has fun with his friends, plays soccer in the streets after school and climbs trees.
Aubrey is a very active child.
What does set him apart from his peers is his prosthetic limb.
Aubrey’s left leg was amputated below the knee after he was born.
His mother was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with him. She received medication which resulted in Aubrey’s leg not developing completely.
Doctors decided to amputate below the knee at birth. Shockingly, it was later discovered that Aubrey’s mother never had cancer.
His disability, however, hasn’t set him back from enjoying his childhood.
“Sometimes he is faster than the other kids,” his stepmother Dorothy-Anne Adams said. “And I joked with him the other day that he is almost like someone who has two legs.”
Aubrey dreams of compet- ing in athletics, but his current prosthesis isn’t designed for the physical requirements of the sport.
His coach Tashwell Adams said that the wear and tear on an artificial limb is hampering his progress.
“It’s (prosthesis) good for walking, not running,” said Adams, who adds that Aubrey could become a top competitor.
Adams met Aubrey in January at the athletics track at Wesfleur Park. “I saw Aubrey running around. He did everything the other athletes were doing,” he said.
“It was fascinating to see the eagerness of this young man and his determination to show his independence.”
Eager to help Aubrey, Adams did some research and discovered the Jumping Kids Prosthetic Fund.
He met with the fund’s doctors in Potchefstroom and they agreed to sponsor the youngster with a prosthetic “running blade”, which they would manufacture in Pretoria.
Michael Stevens from Jumping Kids said the organisation would cover the cost of the prosthesis.
Aubrey and Adams are set to travel to Pretoria in the upcoming school holidays.
Adams has raised some money for their trip, but it is not enough to cover their flights, accommodation and meals.
Zeta Davids, one of Aubrey’s teachers at Parkview Primary, said: “He is very calm. He does as he’s told. On the school grounds he is very active, during school breaks.
“He does what any normal child does. He walks, kicks the ball, plays with his friends.”
Principal Waldy Kastoor described Aubrey as “very vibrant”. “He doesn’t let anything get him down. You won’t say there is a disability,” Kastoor said.
“He regularly attends school. He is very active. Even more active than those who are able to do the sporting activities. He participates in every kind of sport.”