There is something truly awe-inspiring about watching Chanell Meijer lace up her running shoes for the weekly park run in Vanderbijlpark.

Besides the fact that she has already completed over 50 of these timed runs, she is defying the odds after sustaining life-altering injuries in a serious cycling accident five years ago.

 

In 2014 Chanell, an NWU alumna from the campus in Vanderbijlpark, was in her prime as a competitive athlete, enjoying applause as an accomplished triathlete, long-distance runner, hockey player, tennis professional and experienced sports coach.

 

As a teacher at Sasolburg High School, she not only helped to shape young minds academically, but also shared her passion for sport as a hands-on coach.

 

This all changed on 19 December 2014.On her way back from a 100 km training ride, Chanell was knocked down in Vanderbijlpark by a motorist who skipped a stop street.

 

She was airlifted to a hospital in Alberton, put on life support and remained in a coma for close to 90 days. Neurologists established that she had suffered severe brain damage as a result of the accident.

 

A fighting spirit

 

But Chanell is not a quitter. Although in a comatose state, she started breathing on her own a mere 26 days after the accident. Her parents, Pieter and Yvonne Meijer, believe their only daughter’s fighting spirit empowered her to not only survive but thrive after the most challenging physical test of her life.

 

“Already on the very day of her accident, prayer groups were formed around the world and as a family we were engulfed by the support of the community and the South African sports fraternity,” says Yvonne.

 

While her doctors weren’t optimistic about her chances of recovering, Chanell, against all odds, miraculously opened her eyes one day and tried to speak.

 

Her new normal

 

“The accident made me a new person,” says Chanell and explains that at the age of 32 she was like a baby who had to learn how to eat, walk and speak all over again.

 

She admits that although her road to recovery has been difficult, she sourced strength from her family and the many wonderful people who supported her. The realisation that she had been given a second lease on life and that there was no going back to the “old Chanell”, motivated her to be patient.

 

At present the only rehabilitation intervention Chanell still undergoes is speech therapy once every two weeks.

 

And what does the future hold for Chanell? She excitedly answers that she is going to enrol for her master’s degree in education, take on long-distance running again and ultimately – one day – register for the Comrades Marathon.

Chanell proudly donned her ArcelorMittal athletics vest on 1 January 2016 to take part in her first 2,5 km-walk. Here she is with Bruce Fordyce, the CEO of Parkrun SA and former Comrades champion. Chanell has already completed more than 50 park runs since her accident.

Five months after her accident, the wheelchair-bound Chanell receives her honours degree in education with distinction during the NWU’s 2015 autumn graduation ceremony in Vanderbijlpark. With her are former rector Prof Thanyani Mariba and former registrar Elbie Steyn.