Mr Selwyn Paul Els

“The RAF is an angel sent from above. I don’t know what I would have done without them”, is how 50-year-old Selwyn Paul Els describes the organisation after the RAF ensured that he was able to live a normal life despite a life-altering accident. Fourteen years ago, the former Warrant Officer (Correctional Services) from Sunnyridge in East London suffered a serious spinal cord injury, which caused him to be permanently disabled, wheelchair-bound and about 75% dependent on relatives and friends. The married father of a high school teenage girl was his family’s breadwinner before the accident and the family soon struggled to afford his monthly paraplegic supplies and chronic medication. The situation was worsened when his medical aid funds were depleted.

The financial burden left the once outgoing man and sports enthusiast depressed, which in turn led to tension in his marriage. This was until the RAF intervened with a compensation payout of R970 243 and further assistance through the POP.

The compensation enabled Els to settle his bond and pay for alterations to his home, adding a second garage that now allows him to move about freely. The manual gate and garage doors were motorised and he was able to convert his house into a wheelchair-friendly environment. Through POP, Els has been given a motorised wheelchair for use in the house, a mini-rider which he uses for short distances to shops and surrounding areas, and a Quickie Breezy manual chair to use as a back-up. A hoist to lift him in and out of the swimming pool, which he uses for hydrotherapy and relaxation, has also been fitted and he also has his own “Golden Fleece”, a medicated sheep skin.

Last year his wife landed a full-time job and Els now has a full-time attendant who deals with his basic needs, thanks to the intervention of the RAF. Els’ normal and productive life would not have been possible without active case management and the intervention of the RAF’s undertakings department.