He may not be able to hold a fork properly, but when it comes to soccer this disabled Mitchells Plain teen se hande staan vir niks verkeerd nie.
Keanan de Long, 15, who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease when he was seven, now has a chance to show off his goalkeeping skills after being invited to compete in the 2018 National Championships for the South African Sports Association for Physically Disabled and Visually Impaired (SASAPD) in Bloemfontein at the end of March.
His mom, Dorinda, 47, says he was selected to represent the Western Cape in the week-long tournament after getting his provincial colours in January.
But they are struggling to raise the R5000 for his trip.
“We live on my pension and Keanan’s grant. We don’t have the R5 000 to send him and he is so excited. He also needs a tracksuit which costs R450, new gloves, T-shirts, togs and a tog bag,” dad Vernon, 65, explains.
The family’s lives were turned upside down when Keanan suddenly fell ill at the age of seven.
“He was a very hyper, mischievous child. Then he suddenly got ill. At Red Cross Hospital they told us he had motor neuron disease. His arms and leg shake uncontrollably,” explains Dorinda.
DREAM: With parents, Vernon and Dorinda
“He cannot eat with a fork, he uses a spoon and drinks from a straw. He struggles with speech, too.”
Vernon says his son was bullied at school and they were forced to enrol him at Agapé School for special needs children the following year.
“Even today, children in our road still bully him because he’s different. I cannot always show my anger at this because I have to show my son there’s nothing wrong with being different,” the father says.
Vernon says his son loves soccer, and there’s a friendly rivalry as they support opposing teams.
“We love our sport in this house. I support Liverpool and my dad Manchester United,” Keanan says shyly.
Vernon says it’s his mission in life to motivate his son.
“When they train on Saturdays, I run alongside him so he does not give up. He can do whatever he puts his mind to, look at what he is doing now,” he says proudly.