It all started when I was in Grade 11. During my summer vacation while watching a documentary on the after-effects of war I saw dramatic footage of children with no hands or legs playing innocently. I was so moved by this documentary and I decided from that day onward I needed to help these children.

If I could just help one child I would feel as if I had helped all of humanity. So I set out to find out from the University what was required to do a BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING degree. Though it seemed like an impossible mission to me I decided to work hard and successfully obtained an A grade in my final year of my Matric examinations. During the first few months of University I wanted to drop out. It was so much more difficult than my high school days! But then I thought about those kids again.

The image of the children was incredibly clear in my mind and I found the strength and determination to continue on. I gave it my best shot and a few years later passed my BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING class.

 

My lecturer then advised me that this was only the first degree and that I needed to do a further 3-year course in Information Engineering as I would need both these degrees to fulfil my dreams. I took this news with poise and confidence that I would one day soon achieve my goal.

During my final year I had a project to complete a robotic hand which I was very excited about, and with the help of my fellow student and my lecturer, this was accomplished.

My work on Grip control of a robotic prosthetic hand using sensory feedback was presented to The 2018 7th IEEE International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob) held at the University of Twente, Netherlands. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. Receiving this honour and attending this amazing conference allowed me to learn so much in my field. My horizons were forever expanded!

I am currently doing my master’s degree in a self-adjusting prosthetic socket for lower limb amputees at the University of Witwatersrand. I am excited about the future and have the inspiration of those amputee children to forever thank for my success in life.