Our strength rose from the ashes of tragedy

Tragedy can strike at any moment. For Brenton Swartz, Nomalungelo Sotyingwe, and Grant Lottering, disaster hit just when their lives were on the rise. But it was in the midst of their misfortune that they learnt to get back up. 

Brenton Swartz was only 15 years old when his brother accidently fired a gun, hitting Swartz in the neck and paralysing him. Years after the incident, Swartz was at a home for paraplegics. Here, he witnessed others using their mouths and feet to paint elaborate artworks, inspiring him to pursue his creative side. “I needed to find a way to express myself and a reason to live,” Swartz says. Soon, he started swishing the paintbrush utilising only his teeth to hold it steady. “Mouth painting became my life,” he says. Though it was a challenge at first, Swartz’s talent shone through the canvas. Now, he not only sells his paintings, but has found his purpose. 

In 2010, Nomalungelo Sotyingwe’s life was looking up. The single mother had just renovated her shack in Khayelitsha, transforming it into Lungi’s Bed and Breakfast. After spending four years growing her business, she had cemented its success. Then, her B&B was demolished in a fire. Sotyingwe found herself in the ashes of devastation. But she wasn’t going to lose sight of her dream, and started rebuilding. “I will never give up, no matter how difficult it is,” Sotyingwe says. Today, her guesthouse is the pulse of her community, expanding tourists’ experiences while supporting local businesses. 

Where livelihoods were restored, Grant Lottering’s life was resuscitated. During an arduous cycling race in Italy, he catapulted into a rockface and his heart stopped. Doctors performed emergency surgery and Lottering later woke up in hospital with a battered body. “I broke 12 ribs, my femur, my hip, my back, my sternum, my shoulder was completely crushed, my lungs collapsed,” he says. But Lottering’s spirit wasn’t shattered. Surgeries and rehabilitation paved his way back to health. Climbing atop his bike, Lottering returned a year later to complete the race that nearly ended it all. He continues to ride with fierce determination, raising funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. “Bones and blood are no match for the power of the mind,” Lottering says. 

Life is unpredictable. But Swartz, Sotyingwe, and Lottering each harnessed their second chance to grow and accomplish more than they ever thought possible. No matter what stands in our way, we can emerge stronger.

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