MDF Magazine Newsletter Issue 56 August 2018

Events
An athlete with heart
By Pieter Joubert
Naomi Janse van Rensburg is a brave athlete
with a big heart. This year she decided to run
her third Comrades Marathon as an awareness
campaign.
“I ran the Comrades out of appreciation that
I can have a full and healthy life, and also
for those who can’t do it for themselves”, she
said. “I would like to make people more aware
of muscular dystrophy, motivate and inspire
people to reach out to people with muscle-wasting
conditions. The disease lies close to my heart as
I have great appreciation and admiration for
people that are affected by it.”
‘’People are part of a puzzle in someone’s life.
You might not know where or how pricelessly
you fit in, but that someone’s life might never
be completed without you in it,’’ she concluded.
Thank you, Naomi, for crossing the finish
line with a flag that said you were running for
people with muscle-wasting conditions and
in support of finding a cure. It was awesome
to see you doing so!
“I ran for the uphill children, people and families who
are affected by neuromuscular deficiencies,
seeing that it has an impact not only on the
person’s life but also on the whole family who
has to run the road too”, Naomi said. She
admires them because they try to make the best
of their circumstances.
Naomi decided to do the comrades this year in favour
of the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation Gauteng,
and said she not only wants to create awareness
of the disease but also to raise money for our
organisation to carry on with their good work.
Her hope is that she will reach out to more
people so that they can also reach out to others
affected by neuromuscular deficiencies.
Naomi’s motto for the marathon for the past three
years, “It will humble you and take all of you, and
there is no turning back”, is for her very applicable,
as muscular dystrophy sufferers have to
go through this battle on a daily basis.
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