Paralympics push boundary of endeavour
The Olympics have come to a close and I am sure fans are left with a nostalgic feeling. Perhaps even feeling like there is a void in their lives. Let’s face it, the Rio Games were a success, never mind the green diving pools, US swimmers vandalising convenience stores or those who are quite vocal on Twitter about Caster. There will always be the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to competition.
Well done to Rio for putting on a great show and showcasing to the world that you are indeed very beautiful and capable.
Before you become a manic depressive and start watching reruns on the past Olympics, take some time out, exercise, regain your voice from all the cheering and get ready for the Rio Paralympics 2016, starting on September 7 and ending on September 17.
This event will showcase some real heroes and instead of these athletes choosing to be defeated by birth defects or an accident, they continue to fight, never giving up and pushing the boundaries of human potential.
If you have never had the opportunity to experience a disabled athlete in action, you have possibly missed a jaw-dropping moment in your life. Every serve, every sprint, every swim will amaze you and you won’t believe how it is even possible.
Should you take pity on these Olympians and other disabled athletes? Should you say: “Ag shame, I feel sorry for them?”
Thirty-five years ago my father @SeanvStaden was in a motorbike accident around the time I was a few months old. A drunk driver smashed into him from the side.
He was in hospital for quite some time because he refused to let the doctors amputate his leg. Instead he opted for a “learn and go” approach with his doctor and started chipping away at the bone around the area of impact, contracting gangrene. His persistence paid off and even though his one leg is slightly shorter than the other, he did not lose the entire leg.
My dad is a hard, but lovely man and he is the type of guy who hates going to the doctor and will make things happen. My brother and myself have never seen him as a guy who feels sorry for himself, or a guy who felt the world owed him something.
He has never used a disabled parking bay and has never used his disability as an excuse. He has never made his leg an issue growing up and therefore, we as children had never seen him as disabled and thus we have never labelled him. My dad, along with my mom, run a bedding manufacturing plant, employ dozens of people and they have done so for almost three decades.
The reason I am telling you this is because my dad has taught me that life will give you limitations, sometimes physically or mentally, but it is up to you to decide if your limitation is going be a hindrance or whether it is going to push you to greatness.
The Paralympics is an event that goes beyond belief and understanding of what we are capable of as human beings. It shows the very essence of what it is to be human and no matter what life throws at you, the human spirit will always triumph.
Your duties as a South African are not over yet, I need you to keep stretching, stock that fridge with protein shakes or light beers and biltong because the Paralympics are almost upon us and we need to get behind our fellow South Africans.