GQEBERHA – Veteran South African radio personality Queenie Grootboom never imagined that she would become wheelchair-bound too when she joined a campaign to raise awareness of the challenges users face.

In July 2015, during a SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday activation organised by the Association for the Physically Disabled (APD) in Nelson Mandela Bay, she was among a group of able-bodied people asked to perform tasks while seated in an assistive device.

These included basic chores such as withdrawing cash from an ATM and shopping for groceries. The participants quickly understood that a simple act like reaching for an item on the top shelf of the food aisle was almost impossible.

Four years later, Grootboom’s life changed when complications from a tumour pressing against her spine left her unable to walk.

Last Wednesday, she returned as keynote speaker as 200 wheelchairs were handed over to beneficiaries of the 2026 campaign, describing it as a “full-circle moment”.

SPAR Eastern Cape has supported the initiative almost since its inception, with sponsorship manager Honey Koba praising every stakeholder for their commitment to the cause.

“It is really special for us to be part of the 15th campaign. It is so much more than a number,” she said at the PE Golf Club in Gqeberha.

“It represents years of people caring enough to get involved. It represents years of APD and its partners doing the difficult and often unseen work.”

A diagnosis that changed everything

In her address, Grootboom said severe back pain and a strange sensation in one foot led to a medical consultation that changed her life overnight.

Doctors found it originated from a benign growth and that the condition was critical.

“It was embarrassing, especially when I started losing control of my bladder and bowel functions,” Grootboom said.

“We all thought these were post-partum symptoms that would eventually disappear. But they weren’t, and they never did.”

She developed a bedsore accompanied by an allergic reaction that caused secondary trauma to her spine.

The infection spread quickly, necessitating two procedures that produced a horrific wound.

Within the lesion were two holes so severe that doctors could see her spine through one and intestines through the other

It would take almost two full years to heal, but, sadly, the paralysis remained.

Finding strength and purpose again

It took another three to make sense of her new reality and to “find” herself again, a period during which her mother became “my doctor, my nurse, my protector and my greatest advocate”.

In truth, Grootboom admitted, she had been hiding from the world while processing everything she had lost: her ability to walk, her father to a violent crime and her marriage.

The presenter, whose voice has been a staple on Bay FM, Umhlobo Wenene, Kaya FM, MPower FM and Algoa FM for over two decades, also felt tremendous shame.

Yet, she remained on the air throughout, broadcasting from her bedroom as she continued to inspire those who tuned in every day.

“I found strength in my ability to speak and knowing that I could still be there for others who needed me.”

She remembers the moment she found peace within herself as if it were yesterday. It took a simple message from a listener: “The fact that we can still hear you is a miracle”.

Grootboom realised life was spiritual and that everyone needed to find their “source”, whether God or something else.

“Your source gives you purpose and direction. It gives you answers and hope.”

People with disabilities should never allow themselves to be left behind, she said.

“With every new conversation, every new voice, something beautiful begins to happen.

“It starts with a smile followed by laughter that comes from deep within your belly. It’s a new direction, a new sense of purpose.”

Grootboom told the audience that the devices, bought with funds raised by their corporate partners, could open doors to possibilities.

APD’s Brian Bezuidenhout said the huge need for wheelchairs, especially among the poor, sparked the first Wheelchair Wednesday campaign all those years ago.

He added that the organisation’s ongoing services helped move people through the door that Grootboom mentioned.

“To every business person, to every sponsor, to every individual who has stood by us, we say thank you.

“Your loyalty, generosity and willingness to participate have helped turn a simple idea into a programme that is now changing lives.”

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