Page 7 - MIND YOUR ASSET

MIND YOUR ASSET

Struggling with my new reality, as well as the realization of no disability-cover and drowning in
exorbitant medical costs, I had to make a CHOICE. Do I pick up the pieces or do I give up
completely!

72 days in Trauma ICU, gave rise to every conceivable human emotion.

With the Grace of God, challenging Fear with Faith and the Love of Family and Friends, I chose to
place the pieces of my life within the Mighty Hands of My Creator.

Thereafter I spent 8 months in the Netcare Rehabilitation Centre.

Through daily visualization and intense physio of 8 hours per day, for two and a half years… I
managed to strengthen and move my arms. Total paralysis from under the arms down… was the
reality.

Life dramatically changed course for this B. Com Logistics Management student. No higher
education could have prepared him for Paralysis!

A year later Anthony chose to return to university to complete his degree orally. Due to the
limited movement of his arms and no movement in his hands, it would often take him 45 minutes
to turn one page. He had to reconstruct his mind to accommodate the new way in which he was
forced to study and retain information.

Nightly hard work with long hours extending into early mornings, was the norm for the next three
years. All exams were done orally with no extra-time allocated. His lungs had collapsed and his
voice often failed him. Intense conscious breathing formed a large part of his day in order to
strengthen his diaphragm. An exercise that Anthony still uses daily.

After graduating with a B. Com Logistics Degree (with 4 distinctions), the then RAU – (known as
the University of Johannesburg) offered Anthony a Bursary to continue studying, whilst attending
daily rehabilitation at the Netcare Rehabilitation Centre.

Over a 2-year period, he obtained his B. Com Honours Degree 'Cum Laude' in Logistics
Management. He was welcomed into an honorary academic society viz, the 'Golden Key
International Honorary Society', which affords top scholars in their respective fields the
opportunity to further their academic career at exclusive universities across the world.

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