Wheelchair-bound man needs an automatic vehicle

If you don't want to read all this, watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/twF0YWZjBv4

My mother, Ann, Me, My Dad, Johan and sister Liezl (1981)

My name is Johan Potgieter. My friends call me Jo. I am a dual South African and Australian citizen. I was born in 1973 in Pretoria, South Africa. I currently live in Brisbane, Australia

I was born with a genetic defect called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) or more commonly known as brittle bones.

I was lucky because I had my first fracture at the age of 19 months. After this, I had another 120 to 140 breaks until the age of 11 or 12. At this time it's slowed down dramatically and I would say I probably had about another 8 or 9 fractures up to my 18th birthday.

Me at 5 years old playing with my dad (1978)

As you can imagine I spend a lot of time in bed, luckily the body is very resilient and I healed from fractures quickly, normally within 4 to 6 weeks. Despite all the time I spend in bed I could still go to school often enough and I managed to pass my grades every year.

Me in my school uniform (1980)

My mother also suffered from this disorder and so does my sister, because it is inherited, there's always a 50% chance of passing it on to your offspring. My mother has this disease and so did her father. In her father's family, there are multiple people who have this disorder.

My father was also disabled and suffered from cerebral palsy. Despite my dad being a brilliant man he struggled to get good working positions. He was a night watchman, and fingerprint clerk when I was young. My mother worked on a switchboard or did clerical and administrative work. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, disabled people were not seen in the same light as today. Both I and my parents had many similar encounters where people would just assume that because you're in a wheelchair that you are also brain damaged in some way or that you are unable to make decisions for yourself. I believe it started changing in the 1990s and I could see it in the fact that my dad could move up in companies and people would see his value not just his disability.

Despite being poor I had a wonderful childhood. My parents would never turn our friends away and we will always have people over. The house would always be filled with fun, laughter and joy and I couldn't imagine having a better childhood than the one I had despite my many difficulties (OI).

My parents, both disabled, were well-equipped to instruct us on what we needed to know to make it in this world. What they taught us would not have made it into a Disney movie but the reality was that we had to be better than the rest, just to be judged as an equal. We were brought up in a world that wasn't made for us. A few examples:

My sister has been a high school teacher for 25 years and I have been a computer programmer for 20.

Me and my sister Liezl (2019)

I married in 1999 and had two daughters. They are 18 and 23 now. My marriage ended about 10 years ago.

The horrible part about OI is that it is different for each person. To give you an example:

My situation has also worsened over time. When I was a young man I could easily take my parents' advice and go to work despite the fact that I had aches and pains. Now that I am almost fifty I have more severe pain and it's not easy to get up and get on with it anymore. I realised a year ago that I needed to find another way of making money that would involve having the freedom to work when I feel up to it and when I can. I could no longer fit into a 9-to-5 job paradigm.

Me, my mother Ann, Kim (eldest daughter), Amy (youngest daughter) (2020)

I had savings, no debt and an old but reliable car. Unfortunately, very few things turn out the way that you plan. My savings got chewed up much faster than I anticipated, and my old car needed repairs every now and then. I also had to take in my 94-year-old grandmother and 75-year-old mother. Now my trusty old vehicle cannot be repaired economically. Without a vehicle, I will lose my independence. I am constantly struggling to get basic necessities like bread and milk. The closest shop is more than 2 km away. I am trying to raise AUD$13,000 to buy a 2013 to 2015 vehicle that I can have my wheelchair hoist installed onto. I believe I will be able to find something reliable in that price range. If you have a few dollars to donate I would appreciate it.

Thank you,

Johan Potgieter

More Information

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)

A group of inherited disorders characterised by fragile bones that break easily.

Osteogenesis imperfecta is caused by defective genes. These genes affect how the body makes collagen, a protein that helps strengthen bones.

The condition can be mild, with only a few fractures during a person's lifetime. In more severe cases, it can involve hundreds of fractures that occur without any apparent cause.

Treatments include bone-strengthening medication, physiotherapy and orthopaedic surgery.

My Physical Decline

My arms have always been strong and not brittle like my legs. I have had 7 or 8 arm/shoulder fractures but that number pales in comparison to the 120 to 140 leg fractures. Despite attempts to strengthen my arm they have become weaker and have given way on multiple occasions. I have consulted a GP, an Orthopedic surgeon, a physiotherapist and even an exercise physiologist and nobody has been able to diagnose why my arms are doing this. I fear they will give way at the wrong time and I could be seriously injured.

In the past 10 years, other areas have also become more problematic. I constantly injured my ribs while sleeping. I have bought a mattress with a lot of padding, added two mattress toppers and now it’s much better. I still injure my ribs a few times a year but not anything as drastic as before.