Wheelchair athlete Alwyn Uys (33) from Stellenbosch is a living testament to overcoming adversity and an inspiration to many.
Once an avid rugby player for Stellenbosch University and the Sharks Academy, his life took a dramatic turn on 13 December 2014. A momentary lapse while driving led to a severe car accident, leaving him paraplegic and wheelchair-bound. “It was a huge change and it impacted my life. Everything I used to love to do was now inaccessible to me. I had to change my thinking and how I do life, or I wouldn’t have made it out alive.” Despite the challenges, Uys’ spirit was not broken. He redirected his passion for sports into becoming a para-triathlete, engaging in triathlons, Ironman events and other extreme endurance challenges.
Uys’ achievements include being the first paraplegic in the world to complete the Robben Island crossing successfully. He is also the first South African paraplegic to complete a full-distance Ironman, earning him the SA para-triathlete and para-cycling gold medallist honours.
Uys’ pursuit of freedom and adventure led him to discover the life-changing potential of an off-road wheelchair during a visit to the USA. “I first experienced this in the USA, where they are more freely available for loan at beaches and parks, and it was a game-changer!
“The freedom I experienced was incredible. Now I was able to do the things I love again! I could move around freely. Go to the beach, go and walk my dogs, like I gained a piece of my life back.”
Motivated to continue his active lifestyle, Uys launched a BackaBuddy “freedom-wheels” campaign to raise funds for his own off-road wheelchair. The total cost for the chair and a trailer for transportation is around R300 000, with about an additional R5 000 needed to courier the chair to Cape Town. To date, he has raised over R165 000.
He has also founded Alwyn Uys Ministries, his own registered NPC and PBO.
“Despite the setbacks and hardships I’ve had to face and endure, life is still good and God is still good to me! I realised through this all the importance of doing what you love in this life and the value of appreciation of what you have and the small things in life. Like being able to walk on the beach with your dogs.”
The acquisition of the off-road wheelchair represents more than just enhanced mobility for Alwyn; it symbolises a reclaiming of his independence and a return to the joys of his pre-accident life.
