Johannesburg man fights to get his life back after he was left permanently paralysed when armed robbers forced him to withdraw money from an ATM, then shot him in the neck and leg before leaving him for dead in the street.
Shadrack Kuchale, 40, who worked as a maintenance man at a complex, was on his way to work in September last year when he was targeted. More than eight months later, he is still in disbelief that he is permanently paralysed, while the suspects who did this to him still roam the streets free.
The father of two clearly remembers how the event transpired on the day that changed his life forever and says he constantly remembers what the thieves did to him.
Kuchale said: “I was walking to work when out of nowhere these two men wearing black balaclavas just approached me and held the gun to my face, while demanding my cellphone and dragging me to the bank to withdraw my money. They shot me and left me for dead. I remember lying in the street while waiting for what felt like an eternity for medical help.
He added that as he was lying on the floor, he felt his legs go lame as if they were leaving his body.
“I just had a feeling that I will never walk again. When I eventually got to the local government hospital, I remember waiting close to 12 hours for a bed before being admitted,”Kuchale added.
More than six years later, he recalls that after being assessed neurosurgeon and undergoing a CT scan, his worst fears came to life. “The bullet from the attack entered the highest part of my spine, shattering my spinal cord, and then travelled to my lung and severely punctured it. Now, I’m completely paralysed from the shoulders down and will remain a quadriplegic for the rest of my life.”
Kuchale added that no amount of physiotherapy will be able to restore his spinal fluid or body movement.
“Days feel like years. I find myself starring at the walls more often because I’m not able to do anything. It’s hard having to deal with the fact that I now rely fully on others to help care for me. I still pray daily for a miracle because I still have faith that I will walk again,” Kuchale said.
Source: News24, The Bharat Express News, image from The Bharat Express News