The Lord saved my life through the accident

18-year-old Zinray Buis speaks honestly and directly. He was 4 years old when a car ran him over and his life changed irrevocably. A brain injury left him a hemiplegic with his entire right side weakened. His heart and lungs sustained permanent damage and he has to force air into his lungs through a trachea with a C-PAP machine at night for breathing. And his mobility is so impaired that he cannot walk far and get by with a shoprider . But his spirit is certainly not broken!

Staff at the school and the hostel all tell the same story - this young man is always positive. He never complains, so much so that he sometimes tells them too late when he feels sick. His humanity is an inspiration to young and old, his smile always wide.

And so he takes on life to the fullest. Physically disabled, one leg shorter than the other with a clubfoot, he pedals his specially built tricycle into the record books.

Zinray once again represented WP at the SASAPD this year (South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled) National Championships. He won silver for the 800m race and gold for the 1500m, the 13.2km time trials as well as the 26.4km long distance races. Along with the Team Spirit trophy, he was also named 'Most promising cyclist' at provincial level.

His nickname in the hostel is “pastor.” Why, I ask?

“Sir, I like to pray and read the Bible. I recite Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer while I pedal hard on the long distances. But more than that: The Lord saved my life through the accident. The accident is a blessing from the Lord on my life. You know, uncle, all my family and friends my age are either in prison or on the streets with the gangs, drugs and violence.

"Because of my physical disability after the accident, I couldn't walk with them and that's how the Lord saved my life through the accident. He kept me off the streets and gave me new opportunities. I'm grateful for that."

Zinray is in Matric and plans to study art next year. With his positive attitude and love for life, he will definitely go far!