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After almost three decades Jeremy Hazell (72) knows the daily challenges that come with being wheelchair-bound and is now taking on a 900 km journey to help others in a similar position.
He is trekking in wheelchair from his childhood home in Gqeberha to Stellenbosch to raise funds for others with disabilities. “I know the discomfort, deprivations and inconveniences of being in a wheelchair, which I have used for 26 years,” Hazell points out.
“Through my voluntary work with ChangeAbility, a Stellenbosch NPO that works with people with disabilities, I have learnt that those living in local underdeveloped communities have far greater daily challenges than I have with all my privileges.”
Now Hazell, a Somerset West resident, is hitting the road on Friday 19 May.
Once an active runner, canoeist and hiker he became wheelchair-bound after falling on Table Mountain. Before then his weekends were filled with marathons such as the Comrades, the Berg River Canoe Marathon and the Cape Town Cycle Tour, and despite the accident he was determined to keep his active lifestyle up.
“Once I had a suitable wheelchair and my FreeWheel attachment – a third wheel that lifts my small front wheels off the ground – there was no holding me back.”
In his wheelchair Hazell has participated in the Two Oceans half-marathon, the Peninsula Marathon and the full Two Oceans Marathon over the past decade.
Despite his love for the outdoors he isn’t looking to help others become disabled sport stars, but rather helps them get through their day more easily, particularly in Stellenbosch and the Helderberg.
“The Department of Social Development’s recent cutbacks on grants to ChangeAbility has seriously challenged our capacity to support people with disabilities in our target areas,” he explains.
This is why he aims to raise R200 000 through his journey.
Hazell has been chairperson of ChangeAbility for the past seven years. In this time he has seen the absence of public transport, the inaccessibility of roads and pavements, and locals struggling with gaining access to healthcare, places of employment and local government offices.
ChangeAbility’s CEO Dr Cindy Wiggett-Barnard said the organisation serves around 400 clients annually, which means the money collected from Hazell’s journey would be a much-needed boost to the budget.
High transport costs to provide accessible transport as well as the costly specialised social work and peer-support services need funding.
“We offer support to people with disabilities in the communities of Cloetesville, Khayamandi, Klapmuts, Groendal and Macassar. We have a range of group activities, from weekly exercise groups to monthly support groups and quarterly forums,” she says.
“We also provide crucial individual peer-support and social-work services to promote well-being and holistic care. Finally, we do awareness raising and advocacy on disability with the general public and service providers.”
The organisation is also looking to expand to help more communities and reach more beneficiaries.
Hazell already has R1 000 in the kitty and will make the 900 km trek with his support team over 30 days to reachhis target.
- A dedicated crowdfunding page has been set up to support the cross-country trek at www.givengain.com/project/jeremy-raising-funds-for-changeability-75413.
