Paul Steyn’s “Walk for Luca” from PE to Cape Town

Paul preparing for his walk in PE

Paul Steyn, aged 25, lost his leg in an accident at school in February 2000 when he was thirteen years old. Even though doctors tried their best to save Paul’s leg, the leg was amputated below the knee after he spent nearly six months in hospital.

Paul’s journey to recovery made him realize that he has the capacity to make a difference in the lives of other people in a similar sitation as he is in, and this is how the Paul Steyn Foundation was born.

The Paul Steyn Foundation was established as a non-profit organisation Reg. Nr. 987-01 to:

• Raise funds to provide deserving financially disadvantaged people with prosthetic limbs.
• Make the public aware of the cost of prosthesis.
• Take up matters concerning amputees with the government and other organisations.
• Other matters related to the above.

Paul Steyn, an amputee himself, is well aware of the cost of prosthetic limbs. Through his own experiences and his interaction with other amputees, he became aware of the difficulties facing amputees, especially concerning access to prosthesis amoungst disadvantaged persons in the community.

He is now living his dream to be able to make a difference to the lives other people in a similar situation as him. He is well aware that he is one of the more fortunate amputees. He is planning various projects to establish awareness with the relevant authorities, society and interest groups and raise funds needed to provide prosthetic limbs to disadvantaged people.

One of these Projects is his Walk from Cape Town to PE to raise funds for Luca Viljoen.

Luca’s Story

Luca Viljoen

Luca is a lively 4 year old, who was born 3 months prematurely and only weighed 1.48kg.  Luca was born with no lower right leg, all the toes on his left foot were fused together, except the big toe, the radius bone in his left arm was shorter than normal and he did not have a thumb. He also has a very ugly scar on his left shin, which the doctors couldn’t figure out what it is or why it’s there.

Miraculously he had absolutely no brain damage! He was expected to stay in the neo-natal unit for at least 3 months, but 33 days later, he was strong enough to come home. An early Christmas gift!

His mom decided his name would be Luca, meaning “light” in Italian.

Luca was fitted his first  prosthetic leg when he was 6 months old, which from then on had to be adjusted or replaced every six to eight months. He also had to undergo various surgical procedures to correct his stump, to give it a rounded form as well as z-plasty to release the band on the tip of his stump, to his left arm to lengthen the radius bone and to his hand, where they moved his index finger to the where he should have had a thumb, so that he could have more functionality of his hand. To date he has had nine different operations. The various doctors and specialists in Bloemfontein and Pretoria have been an absolute blessing to Luca and his family. They travel to Pretoria every few months for check-ups to the Advanced Centre for Amputees, were Luca’s leg is made by Mr Marco du Plooy and his team of angels!

When Luca is a bit older, he will hopefully receive a more advanced prosthetic leg, which will enhance his ability to walk and lead a normal life. This could cost anywhere between R60, 000 and R100, 000 and will have to be replaced every 1 – 2 years depending on his growth rate. There are various procedures overseas where they implant a cylindrical device which is surgically inserted into the hollow of the remaining bone. The goal is to encourage the bone to grow into the metal, similar to what happens after joint replacement surgeries. The artificial limb itself attaches to a short connector that protrudes from the skin, eliminating some problems of socket prostheses. But there are risks of infection etc. and this is also very expensive.

Luca does have occasional discomfort and gets frustrated, but apart from of his physical shortcomings, he is a smart, well adjusted busy little boy that loves to ride bike and play outside.

He is not afraid of trying new things and pushing the boundaries. He has a very strong personality and is a real chatterbox.

About Paul walking from PE to Cape Town!

On Saturday 25 August 2012 Paul will be departing from the Pier opposite the Boardwalk Casino at 09:00am.  This will be the start of a 800km journey to raise funds for Luca Viljoen and other children.  Paul plans to arrive at the foot of Table Mountain on 2 October 2012.

The complete schedule of the journey can be found here!

Nue Light Productions will be scheduling various musicians along the way to walk with Paul in support of this fantastic cause.  Keep your eye on ShowMe for more information.

How can you help

Along the way Paul and his backup person will require meals and accommodation.  If any establishment along the way can be of assistance, it will be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to donate funds to help Luca and the other kids, you can use on of the following methods:

1. Direct Deposit

Account Name: Paul Steyn Foundation
Bank: FNB
Acc Nr: 62326196294
Type: Current
Branch: 250655
Contact Details

2. Paypal

To donate via PayPal click here.

Paul can be reached at:

Cell:  079 912 7467
Email:info@paulsteynfoundation.org.za

Also visit his Website and ShowMe Helderberg Page

To keep track of his journey, please like the Paul Steyn Foundation Facebook Page and follow him on Twitter @PaulSteynFounda and follow the journey on #walkforluca