Dorset Orthopaedic

Matt Mbanga’s Living Free Blog Entry 13 (April)

Matt Mbanga, who lives and works in a remote area in Africa, regularly puts Dorset Orthopaedic’s SAFO® through its paces. Matt chooses the SAFO to help him with the symptoms of ‘Drop-Foot‘ and regularly updates us on how he is getting on.

This is the 13th instalment of Matt’s Living Free SAFO blog: (Blog 1, Blog 2, Blog 3, Blog 4, Blog 5, Blog 6, Blog 7, Blog 8 , Blog 9, Blog 10, Blog 11, Blog 12)

“There are few things as gratifying as inhaling the glory of a setting sun over Lake Kariba – Zimbabwe’s 360km long wildlife, water paradise!”

The golden orb plunging into the depths of the sparkling horizon has a way of untangling life as you witness one of the most breathtaking experiences on the planet.

I have the privilege of renewing my passion for this river-washed veld in all its rugged majesty during an inspiring 4-day adventure. The abundance of this lonely expanse of eternity continues to fill my heart with fullness, and joy, and life! The silent waves lap the bough of my floating safari and waves of renewed hope nourish my soul.

When surrounded by such an untamed expanse something feral is awakened in you  – at least it has been in me. I have leapt into the murky waters from the top deck of the houseboat putting faith in my captain’s assurance that the crocodiles we saw basking on the banks would not attempt to attack in open water – they prefer to eat fish or attack small game along the banks!

The element of danger invites me to come fully alive and the frantic splashes of my fellow life-seekers treading water around me unlocks something central to our human existence. We were made for this, or if not this then something like it – something wild and free! No rules, no deadlines, just excitement, freedom, adventure, joy. No timetables, expectations or TV, no Internet, no news channels – real life, you and me, here and now. And the Matusadona mountain range and Big 5 African game as a backdrop!

I am thankful in many ways for the accident that almost cost me my life and has left me maimed for the last 10 years. Thankful obviously not for what I lost, but rather thankful that it freed me from the illusion that life is safe and predictable. It is not. I have no more power over whether I will live or die, on any given day, than I do in determining what animals I will see prowling, or drinking, or being stalked along the banks of the mighty Zambezi River that fills this inland ocean.

You and I may be from the opposite ends of the earth and have nothing in common other than our humanity, but wherever you are, and whatever you do today, choose life – come fully alive! You don’t have to go base jumping or kayak with hippos to live – you know what I’m talking about – maybe its simply walking across the room and telling your partner, or your child, or parent that you love them and promise to say it more often – life is too short not to.

Be courageous, be passionate, be adventurous – live!

If you try to save your life you will lose it (at least the true meaning of it as I have come to experience it), but if you give your life freely (to others and to the adventure of being alive) you will find it – and know the meaning of abundant life.

Live free!

Read other Client Stories here to find out how Dorset Orthopaedic has affected others.

Matt Mbanga’s Living Free Blog Entry 12 (February)

Matt Mbanga, who lives and works in a remote area in Africa, regularly puts Dorset Orthopaedic’s SAFO® through its paces. Matt chooses the SAFO to help him with the symptoms of ‘Drop-Foot‘ and regularly updates us on how he is getting on.

This is the 12th instalment of Matt’s Living Free SAFO blog: (Blog 1, Blog 2, Blog 3, Blog 4, Blog 5, Blog 6, Blog 7, Blog 8 , Blog 9, Blog 10, Blog 11)

Diving into 2013 with my new SAFO water-friendly bands, the year began with all the promise and excitement that a new year should!

The sound of Zulu drums filled my ears and the mighty waves of the Indian Ocean battering Africa’s ‘wild coast’ propelled my soul into a new season of life and promise!

Three weeks at sea-level over New Years allowed me many deeply satisfying runs; I could certainly feel the difference from running in the highlands where we live in the thinner air of Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands. I relished the opportunity to test out the new water-proofing additions to my SAFO (3 small silicone bands that slip over the Velcro straps and ensure that the SAFO remains tightly and comfortably in place – despite the tugging of waves and rocks). They performed magnificently and I was able to tackle the surf with no fear of my SAFO coming off. In years past I have had to go in without the support of my SAFO, fearing that it may be lost to the strength of the tides.

We have now returned home to work with a renewed passion for our tree project and the community development work that makes us come fully alive in this wild and magical place!

I have a daunting challenge to work towards this year.  I will be competing in the Blue Cross Challenge – a 500km bike ride from Zimbabwe’s lowest point (150m above sea-level) to the highest peak (2592m above sea-level), over 4 gruelling days.

Challenge yourself this year and may you dive into the fullness of all that a new year holds – new commitments, new resolutions, new challenges and most of all new dreams.

Never stop dreaming – live free!

In this video Matt Mbanga demonstrates the difference Dorset Orthopaedic’s solution for drop foot can make to walking. He first walks without the SAFO® quickly puts on his SAFO® and shoes, then re-walks.

Benefits of a SAFO®:

- Allows normal foot/ankle action

- Improves balance & stride length while walking

- Can be worn discreetly with or without shoes and while swimming or showering

- Easy it fit, clean and maintain

- Improved sensory feedback

- An affordable, comfortable and attractive alternative to traditional AFO’s

Matt Mbanga, who lives and works in a remote area in Africa, regularly puts Dorset Orthopaedics’s SAFO® through it paces. Matt chooses the SAFO® to help him with the symptoms of drop foot and regularly lets us know how he is getting on.

This is the 11th instalment of Matt’s Living Free SAFO® blog: (Blog 1, Blog 2, Blog 3, Blog 4, Blog 5, Blog 6, Blog 7, Blog 8 , Blog 9, Blog 10)

I feel as though I played four rugby matches in a row yesterday. My back aches, my legs are stiff and my mouth is dry. The rasp in my throat and the painful cough in my chest remind me of the smoke and my eyes begin to stream again at the thought.

September is fire-season in Southern Africa. Slash and burn is a cheap, fast way to clear new land for subsistence agriculture. Fires are also frequently caused by starving hunters flushing out game and hungry honey collectors subduing bees. There is no control, no firefighters, and no recourse to the law if your land is burnt – it is a way of life.

The thick smoke billowed over the hillside fuelled by strong winds and crisp, dry grasslands around midday. We fought it until a blood-red sun set in the heaviness around six. As darkness settled-in the hillside crackled and the woodlands yawned open to reveal bright orange fangs that hissed and a tongue that darted about in the darkness.

The power was out in the house and our flashlights looked like lightsabers in the smoky thickness. “We have got to get her out of here,” I said to Lauren speaking of our six month-old daughter, who was coughing playfully and clutching at the beams of our headlights.

We left the house at 8p.m. and slept at a friend’s in the next settlement. I slept uneasily as flames licked the walls and leapt over us. I beat the fiery demons with my 6-foot fire swatter, as I had done for five-straight hours that afternoon. The trouble with fighting fires in the hills is that you are exhausted by the time you reach the front line and then have to muster courage and strength to actually begin the fight. Despite cramping hamstrings I remained injury free and thru it all never gave a second thought to my ability to remain in the fight – my SAFO, like my trusty eucalyptus branch ‘beater’ was with me thru it all!

What will you take with you if you have to rush out of your house unsure of what will still be there when you return? Cherish the things that matter most – health and life… live free!