Alwyn Uys, a star para-triathlete from Stellenbosch, is not just a testament to overcoming adversity but is using his life story to inspire others.
Alwyn, 33, was once an avid rugby player for Stellenbosch University and the Sharks Academy but his life took a dramatic turn in December 2014 when he was involved in a severe car accident which left him a wheelchair-bound paraplegic.
Alwyn says as a young man it was devastating: "It was a huge change and impact on 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, he redirected his passion for sports into becoming a formidable para-triathlete, engaging in triathlons, Ironman events, and other extreme endurance sports.
His remarkable achievements include being the first paraplegic in the world to successfully swim to Robben Island and also the first South African paraplegic to complete a full-distance Ironman, earning him gold medal.
The author and speaker discovered the life-changing potential of an off-road wheelchair during a recent visit to the USA.
"I first experienced this in the USA where they are more freely available to 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 walk with my dogs, like I gained a piece of my life back.”
Alwyn has now launched a BackaBuddy crowdfunding campaign to raise R350 000 for his own off-road wheelchair, which will be manufactured in Pretoria.