In 2012, a tragic gymnastics accident left Brandon Beack, our Ambassador and Co-founder, with a complete spinal cord injury, and a quadriplegic. Following 10 weeks of inpatient therapy after the accident, the Beack family struggled to find an outpatient facility that met all of Brandon’s rehabilitation needs.
They soon realised that there were virtually no affordable outpatient facilities to provide high quality rehabilitation for the average South African. This led them to the Shepherd Centre, an outpatient facility based in the USA, that provides cutting-edge neurological rehabilitation and advanced medical care.
The Beack family invested everything they had into getting Brandon to the Shepherd Centre, and at the time, they had no idea just how important and foundational this trip would turn out to be.
While at the Shepherd Centre, Brandon benefitted tremendously. The expertise of the medical professionals, as well as their vast selection of rehabilitative technology and equipment, helped him to make remarkable improvements in his recovery.
He returned to South Africa with a new mindset, determined to make the standard of medical care that he experienced in the USA available to those South Africans who need it the most, and thus, the Walking with Brandon Foundation (WWBF) was founded.
Armed with the knowledge and skills honed from highly-trained medical professionals, and with the aid of generous donors, the Beack family were able to procure some incredible pieces of rehabilitative technology and equipment. Mark and Annette Beack used the story of their son’s accident as a means to create hope for themselves and for the disabled community in South Africa.
This led to the formation of the Walking with Brandon Foundation’s Therapy and Beyond Centre, a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation based on the latest research and development in neurology.
At the Walking with Brandon Foundation, we believe that rehabilitation is a right and not a privilege, and that all physically disabled South Africans should have unobstructed access to high-quality outpatient rehabilitation, regardless of their income.
Our objectives are therefore to:
- Provide advanced and accessible outpatient rehabilitation for all South Africans with neurological and orthopaedic conditions.
- Educate the South African public on the immense challenges that disabled persons face in our society, and how they can contribute to a more supportive and inclusive future.
- Empower our patients by helping them regain their independence, assisting them to pursue their personal goals, and thereby fully enjoying their lives.
- Inspire other disabled South Africans with hope, through our patients’ stories of recovery, and the reality that they themselves can recover bodily function they never thought possible.
- Offer advice and support to families who have been affected by neurological injuries.
