Broken Wings

Meet our Broken Wingers

	Ilongke Swanepoel is a 25 year old girl. Ilongke suffers from a rare illness named Ulrich Musculardistrovi. Research has determined that there are 25 people in the world who have the disease. It attacks all the muscles and joints. She is in a wheelchair and she needs help to move around, but despite her condition she is a very happy young girl. She is at Broken Wings and is enjoying every moment of it. She is very motivated; enjoys doing beadwork and fabric painting. She is also learning how to sew. She celebrated her 21st birthday with her friends at Broken Wings. Broken Wings is the best thing that happened in her life. Make the world out there aware of your child's condition. They are very special. Sheryl (Ma)
	Shaun Foord suffers from a mental illness(Cerebral Palsy). He is 46 years old and was about 17 when he started painting. He painted a SA flag and ended up selling it at a charity auction during the recent Broken Wings Quiz Evening. He has been a member of Broken Wings for 14 years now. Shaun lost his mother 3 years ago and stays with his brother. He also likes doing beadwork and listening to Elvis Presley music. Shaun enjoys being part of the Broken Wings family.
	Warren was a motocross champion riding for the top teams; achieving TVL colors and Free State colors and many times challenged for the SA title. He was a good golfer, enjoyed gym and a good athlete. He also was a trainee pilot at Rand airport . At the age of 19 his life changed so drastically following an accident, in which a police car, going through a red robot connected him on his side as a passenger, leaving him unconscious and fighting for his life. He remained in a coma for nearly a year at Milpark hospital and then went into rehab in various other institutions but showed little signs of improvement. He was left disabled and brain damaged with doctors telling us that they would keep him comfortable until he dies. That’s when we took him home. Through many prayers, love and care from his family, especially his late mom and granddad and the grace of God, he slowly awoke and after many years managed to stand up out of the wheelchair. Today he manages quite well unassisted in most aspects of life and has a sense of humor second to none. He attended Headways centre for brain injury for many years but being in Hyde Park the logistics of fetching and carrying each day was horrific. Today at the age of 37 he spends his days at Broken Wings where he enjoys going to school (in his words) and many thanks to them for their love and care.

The whole group of Broken Wingers at a glance - Disabled all the way from Edenpark and Thokoza through to those who live in and around Alberton:

(please come back - we are in the process of adding all our new Broken Wingers)