After his third close shave with death, a biker whose leg was amputated a week ago didn’t let that keep him from proposing to his girlfriend from his hospital bed.
On 10 April, Clinton Frans’s life changed forever when he and a vehicle collided along Jakes Gerwel Drive near Heideveld and he was flung into the air.
Clinton, 24, had bought his brand-new Kawasaki bike just a week before and was on his way home when the accident happened.
Lying on the side of the road, the first person he contacted was his girlfriend of nearly seven years, Kaelyn Dyson, 22.
“I took out my cellphone and just sent the word “accident” as a message,” says Clinton.
The couple are both from Mitchells Plain; Kaelyn is a student at the University of Cape Town while Clinton works in IT.
Kaelyn will be graduating with a degree in Social Work and Politics on Wednesday.
Clinton says he owes his life to a female police officer who was first on the scene: “She kept me alive and my leg was literally hanging by its flesh and I could see the bone sticking out.”
Clinton was rushed to Gatesville Melomed Hospital where his left leg was amputated just above the knee.
While in hospital, and realising he is now permanently disabled, Clinton says he had a lot of time to think about his girlfriend, who has supported him through three near-fatal accidents.
“Two years ago, I was also on life support when I had an accident along Jakes Gerwel Drive. And one-and-a-half years ago, I broke my ankle.”
On Saturday, while in the Intensive Care Unit, Clinton started a WhatsApp group to plan the engagement with family and friends.
THE PROPOSAL: Kaelyn blindfolded
On Sunday night, an unsuspecting Kaelyn was brought to the hospital under the pretext that the family would be holding a prayer meeting for Clinton.
Clinton says he had also told her to wear the sexy black dress he had bought for her graduation ceremony since he would not be able to attend it.
Hospital management played along and Clinton was moved to a larger ward to accommodate the dozens of friends and relatives he had invited.
In a video of the proposal, a blindfolded Kaelyn was led to Clinton’s bed and he removed the blindfold, saying “surprise”.
THE RING: Clinton puts it on Kaelyn’s finger
Kaelyn asks if this is for her graduation and he says: “We are graduating in our relationship.”
Clinton says Kaelyn has stuck by him through everything and with this last accident, showed him that for her it’s not just about “the physical stuff”.
He then tells her to turn around, taking the ring out from under the sheets.
When Kaelyn sees the ring, she bursts into tears, kisses Clinton and says “yes” to loud cheers.