This paraplegic singer says she urgently needs an electric wheelchair so that her voice can be heard.
Atlantis songbird Nikita Scott, 19, desperately wants to become more mobile but a new wheelchair costs anything between R20 000 and R60 000, money her family does not have.
When she takes to the stage, her parents usually carry her on.
The teenager was left badly injured in a car accident when she was 17 years old.
The bubbly teen, who had just started her first term in Grade 10, said she got a lift home with her friend and as they stood at a red robot, they were hit by a swerving car.
“I remember sitting at the red robot in the car and then another car came speeding and swerving towards where we were standing and hit us,” says Nikita.
“My friend was hurt and I was knocked unconscious, all I heard were sirens and people calling for help.
“I woke up in hospital after a two-week coma, and I was paralysed from my hips down.”
Nikita says her dreams of becoming a professional singer were shattered and she slipped into depression.
“I couldn’t even continue with school because I was diagnosed with Functional Disorder, this means my brain and body don’t work together.
“I was depressed and in a dark hole, and I spent months there.
“I hit rock bottom but I soon came up and realised I needed to make a change in my situation.”
Nikita says she wanted to pursue her singing career and picked up the mic again.
“Music saved me from a bad space in my life, and I entered a singing competition.
“I was back to doing what I loved, I am still me but just with wheels,” she jokes.
Now her parents have to carry her onto stage when she takes part in shows or competitions.
“I don’t like that my parents need to carry me up to the stage but I don’t have a choice.”
Nikita sees a neuropsychologist every Friday and gets a medical check-up every second week and says all she wants is to live life like a normal teen.
“I’m at home because doctors say my brain can’t take the pressure of being in school,” she says sadly.
“I want to be mobile and get myself around because my parents won’t always be there for me.
“I want to go to the mall when I want to. I miss being in my school choir and playing netball.”
The teen says she is willing to work for her wheelchair by singing at shows and baking cakes to sell: “I will do whatever it takes to get an electric wheelchair.”
If you would like to assist, call Nikita on 062 178 0341.
venecia.america@inl.co.za