He's My Little Whirlwind
YOU South Africa|5 December 2019
Elken’s right leg was amputated below the knee – but he’s not letting that slow him down
Franco Havenga
He's My Little Whirlwind

LIKE most two-year-olds he’s a ball of energy, flying across the monkey bars, kicking his ball around, tearing around the garden – in fact, it makes you tired just looking at him.

Unlike most kids though, Elken Mynhardt has a prosthetic leg, a bright blue artificial limb complete with a little foot the same size as his left one.

Elken is so adept at getting around you barely notice his right leg doesn’t move quite the same as his left. For the little boy it’s just life – the only normal he’s ever known.

He was born without a fibula and an ankle in his right leg, the result of fibular hemimelia – the same congenital condition with which disgraced Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was born.

“Sometimes people ask me what happened to Elken and I’ll tell them,” his mom, Sumé Potgieter (22), says, chatting to us at a restaurant in her hometown of Polokwane in Limpopo.

When her little boy’s friends ask about it, she just tells them “his leg is gone and he has a new one now”.

As for Elken, he couldn’t be prouder of his artificial limb. “He still doesn’t understand that he’s different to other kids. I’ll have to explain it to him one day.”

But right now, he’s a happy, carefree little boy, exploring the world around him.

SUMÉ had no warning that there was any problem with her baby when she was pregnant – but as soon as Elken was born on 26 March 2017 and she glanced down at him, her heart stopped.

“I got such a fright,” she says. “Initially I thought he was missing both legs but then I realised only one had been affected.”

Later that day orthopaedic surgeon Dr Iwan Scott told the young mom about her son’s condition, and at first she was distraught.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 5 December 2019 من YOU South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 5 December 2019 من YOU South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من YOU SOUTH AFRICA مشاهدة الكل
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
YOU South Africa

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT

The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
YOU South Africa

HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY

Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache

time-read
10+ mins  |
5 September 2024
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
YOU South Africa

THE GROWN-UP BRAIN

If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!

time-read
3 mins  |
5 September 2024
THE eyes HAVE IT
YOU South Africa

THE eyes HAVE IT

They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area

time-read
1 min  |
5 September 2024
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
YOU South Africa

WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER

It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry

time-read
4 mins  |
5 September 2024
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
YOU South Africa

I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!

Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
YOU South Africa

'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'

When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
YOU South Africa

SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!

A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
YOU South Africa

READY TO SMILE AGAIN

A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
YOU South Africa

HARRY AT A CROSSROADS

As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life

time-read
8 mins  |
5 September 2024