South Africa: famous former Springbok Rugby player struck down by Transverse Myelitis

On the 17th of December 2006, Andre Venter sat in a wheelchair on the veranda of a tiny restaurant right next to the Life Pasteur Rehabilitation Centre in Bloemfontein, South Africa.  I had to drive 500km to meet him.  With family and friends surrounding Andre, I approached them and introduced myself.  Andre was completely relaxed and conversation came easily.  With my cheap little camera, I took a few photos.  His mother stood with her arm around my middle for one of the photos and his wife smiled brightly for the “just-before-Christmas” photo.  Andre and I had spoken over the phone on a few occasions; no easy task as he is a famous sportsman in South Africa.

Earlier I tried to reach Andre.  That was quite a difficult task in itself. At last, I reached his personal assistant in Bloemfontein.  She is a friendly lady and gave me his personal e-mail address.  I e-mailed him to inform him of the South African Transverse Myelitis Support Group.  A few days later, Andre phoned me and we spoke for an hour or more.  He felt very relieved to be able to speak to someone knowledgeable on the topic of Transverse Myelitis (TM).  He was delighted to hear that Alet, my daughter, fully recovered from TM at the age of 11 in 2000.  She recovered completely from the disease within three months.  Andre also expressed his appreciation to me and Jenny Moss for managing the TM Association of South Africa, and that my daughter, for one, had recovered from TM seven years before.

In his heyday, Andre played no less than 66 test matches for his famous national rugby team, the Springboks.  By just looking at him, one realises that Andre is a very tall and well built man – he is a super sportsman and physically active person.  It is quite obvious why the South African media labelled him the “Iron Man.”  He could sprint 40 metres within only 5,29 seconds.  Once he broke a rib in a rugby match against Australia, but continued to see the game through.  He also had no problem with jogging 3km in 10 minutes and 18 seconds.

Andre then told me his TM story in extraordinary step-by-step detail; how TM turned his entire life upside down and the extent to which it changed his life.  He admitted that the last six months of his 36 year life was the toughest time, as he was now paralyzed from his chest downwards.

He related that on Saturday, the 1st of July 2006, he felt excruciating pains in his back. TM was only diagnosed after he visited the Bloemfontein Hospital for the third time in two weeks.  By the second day after his admission, his left leg started to weaken significantly and was completely paralyzed and without feeling.  Two days later, his right leg behaved in the same manner and he developed a dangerously high temperature.

Yet another two weeks later, both his legs were useless and Andre was a very, very sick man.  He could, literally, not muster enough energy to lift his head from his pillow.  His family feared for his life as he couldn’t eat.  Within a month he lost a shocking 15 kg.  Once the high temperature and pain was brought under control, he was admitted to the Life Pasteur Rehabilitation Centre and seven months later he is still visiting the center daily.  Andre only sees his precious wife, Lizelle, and 5 year old son, Andre-Hugo, on Saturday evenings, when they can spend quality time together in their family home. Lizelle is expecting their second child soon.  They will call her Anebel.

That visit took place just before Christmas.  Andre phoned me last week with some wonderful news.  Vodacom, one of the South African mobile phone service providers, offered him an incredible sponsorship to go to any place in the world for rehabilitation from TM.  That sent me running.  I immediately contacted our friend and very helpful Sandy Siegel, President of The Transverse Myelitis Association, who suggested that Andre consider The Kennedy Krieger Institute. He also sent me the link to Dr. John McDonald III, who was Christopher Reeve’s doctor.  According to Sandy, Johns Hopkins and Kennedy Krieger are affiliated and are next to each other in Baltimore, Maryland.

At this time we should now take hands and help this sportsman to receive a world class rehabilitation program.  Like all TM patients, Andre desperately wants to walk again…

Ms. Mart Uys
Co-Chairperson (together with Jenny Moss) of the South African Transverse Myelitis Support Group
mart.uys@telkomsa.net