Hannes De Jager

Hi, my name is Hannes de Jager. I broke my neck in 1997, aged 25 playing for the Bloemfontein Defence Force against the University of the Free State. It happened in a maul where I was carrying the ball at the back. My team mates must have gone left or right and I went straight ahead into the opponents. I was pushed back and ended up in a sitting position. Another player then fell on top of me which the result that my neck bent forward. The damage was a fracture between C4 and C5 which leaft me paralyzed from my shoulders down. Luckily for me the Free State Team Doctor, Louis Holtzhausen, was there and he stabilised me before I was taken to hospital.

The following day I had a spinal fusion and unfortunately developed bad pneumonia after that. This resulted in me spending 10 weeks in the ICU as I could not get off the ventilator. After the 10 week period I was transferred to Pretoria where I spent 6 weeks in a normal ward. Then I was moved to the recovery wing for 14 weeks where I underwent intensive rehab. I was discharged on the 10th of October and did not return to work for the remaining 3 months of the year and spent that time at my mother’s house.

It was during my rehab period that I went to Bloemfontein for a work evaluation. My commanding officer at that stage, Colonel Hannes van der Merwe, did not give me much of an option as to whether I should go on disability or medical pension. So in a way I was actually forced to start working again. I did not look forward to this at all, but in hindsight it was the best thing I could have done. The fact that I was quite severely disabled, being paralyzed from my shoulders down did not really hinder me that much. The Defence Force appointed me in the research and development wing of my unit where my job mainly entailed computer work. This I did for 2 years and then I was appointed as a career development officer. This meant handling group as well as individual course administration.

In my free time I keep myself busy as an executive committee member of the Association for people with disabilities (APD) in the Free State and I look after the maintenance of their website. I also assist newly spinal injured people with emotional support and assist them in staying motivated which is so essential to helping them to adapt to their situation. I have also done some public appearances at schools and companies where I am able to share my story.

I am absolutely crazy about sport especially rugby. It may sound strange but I still love the game. Music is also very important to me and I don’t think my life would be the same without it. I am very in touch with my feminine side as I adore shopping! I also spend a lot of time browsing the web. I love nature and animals being the proud owner of a Jack Russell, a Labrador and a cat. I am totally independent and live in my own house together with a caregiver who runs the household. He used to do all household duties until I appointed a domestic lady to take care of some of the duties like washing and ironing. They are both stars in my life. I have my own transport in the form of a Volkswagen Combi and rely on friends to drive me around.

The message I want to share with people with disabilities is that it does not matter if you are paralyzed for one day or 30 years – there is life after such an injury. Don’t ever think that your life is too small to make a difference in the world.