Special Kind of Hero.

Amber is a beautiful young lady from Limpopo in South Africa who has over the years refused to be defined by her disability as she continues to live her life like any fully physically abled person.

Amber has experienced many obstacles relating to her physicality but it seems these have done nothing but propel her to move forward against all odds.

• We get to explore a bit about more about the 27 Year old Amber Mahlaula. Her resilience in pursuing her dreams fascinated me to write about her life journey.

27 Year Old Amber Mahlaula.

“Being one of the few people living with disability, I was fortunate to be raised in a family of love and support”, says Amber. She describes her family as strong, supportive and caring. They became her main pillars of strength from the day they discovered she was physically challenged.

“I went to Letaba special school for my primary education. It was exciting because I got to meet people who were like me , although with different physical challenges”, said Amber.
“Growing up I was completely convinced that i was the only person in this world living with disability, until I joined the special school and met a variety of people. It was difficult to consider ourselves as disabled because we could relate to each other and became each other’s support system”.

She went further to a higher school at a special school in Filadelfia. Her high school experience was the one of colour. She got to explore more and got snoopy on variety of activities which eventually boosted her inner confidence. As a teenager, she became more responsible and accountable. On top of that she got to learn different types of South African languages. She can speak sotho, Isizulu, Tsonga and English.

By the grace of God she managed to complete her final year in high school. The following year she enrolled for System Development at Dvg Media Training and she successfully graduated.

It is possible to be successful and disabled at the same time.

Amber

People in her community are supportive and kind. They would constantly ask her questions like, ‘Why are you using a wheelchair? Can’t you use your legs? She used to be offended but ended up understanding that it was just out of mere curiosity and not to mock her. She will then take it upon her shoulder to educate people about her disability. She is living with paraplegia, which is a loss of sensory function in areas of the body. It mostly affects the movement of the lower body which requires the use of a wheelchair.

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She has adapted and discovered that, “In this world, when you live with disability you have to work twice as hard more than any other person. And you must never allow people to underestimate your potential just because you are living with disability”.
She has learnt to believe in herself and trusted her instinct. She takes delight in listening to gospel music and reading books. She’s currently pursuing a career in Human Resource at CollegeSA.

“I encourage everyone to know that whatever you want to achieve, go for it wholeheartedly and remain consistent. Do not forget that hard work pays and you shall thank yourself later. As for all my peers living with disability, the sky is the limit, there is Ability within Inability”, she concluded.

What a force to be reckoned with. You are a rare breed Amber. Continue to shine bright like a diamond.

From my hear to yours
Cheers.