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Quadriplegic’s dream home becomes reality

NEVER SAY NEVER … Mario Thaniseb secured a house for he and his son, despite his disability. Photos: Contributed

MARIO Thaniseb (37) remembers the day he received the news that his housing loan was approved.

He still cannot get used to the idea that, against all odds, he is the owner of a two-bedroom house.

The C4-C5 quadriplegic’s life took a turn on 24 December 2011, while traveling from Walvis Bay to Otavi, when he was 23 years old.

His car overturned on the gravel road, leaving him paralysed from the neck down, and halting his dreams of becoming a clinical psychologist. Upon his discharge in 2012, he faced many challenges, mainly due to living with relatives who did not know how to care for someone with his needs.

He soon moved out of his aunt’s house into a shack on the premises.

“People with disabilities are often perceived as dependent because of their condition. People make decisions for them, and others are often taken to the village to spend the rest of their lives. I wanted to depend on myself,” he says.

Thaniseb later took down his shack and moved to another place, as he wanted to be entirely independent. However, he recalls his fears while living alone.

“I had nightmares in that shack, thinking about what would happen to me if someone breaks in. The worst part was panicking every time that there was a fire somewhere nearby. I always thought about how I would get out if it occurred in the yard where I was renting. Shack fires spread fast and there was an incident almost every few weeks,” he says.

‘NO HANDOUTS’

He tried to find employment for almost seven years he says.

“I looked for sponsorship for motivational talks to schools and other organisations on disabilities, bullying, teenage pregnancies, other social evils and depression.

“I helped managers to handle employees who return to work after accidents. I also got employment from the Walvis Bay Child and Family Centre, teaching computer skills to differently-abled children, and managed the social media pages of the Streethouse Family Entertainment Centre,” he says. Thaniseb has also served on the Walvis Bay rural constituency committee since 2021, and has been a board member of the Walvis Sunshine Centre since 2022. The father of a 13-year-old son started to rent rooms paid for with his government disability grant and the caregivers allowance from the Motor Vehicle Assistance Fund.

“One of the motivations to find a house was to leave my son with a good home, education and good example of how hardworking I am. I need to reiterate it to fathers who have excuses. Our sons need their fathers. I freed myself mentally and emotionally, as it is not enough to blame life,” he says. Thaniseb started the housing application process in 2018, and was finally informed on 25 November 2022 that it was approved. “The municipality called in the morning while [I was] preparing to go to the Sunshine Centre for a meeting. It was my happiest day since the tragedy. I immediately started to make plans to start the bank loan process,” he says.

However, that proved to be another obstacle as his application for a loan was denied three times.

Thaniseb says the setbacks motivated him to work harder, earning him promotions and more jobs, which in turn motivated the bank to approve his loan in 2023. “I could not wait to take the letter to the municipality and take the key to my house. They gave it to me on 23 December, the day before the twelve year anniversary of my accident. I moved in on 24 December,” he says.

Thaniseb’s son, Marion Haudom, says he was excited about the new house.

“I have been moving around with my father since I started to live with him in 2021. We are very close and have a lot of good times. I am very proud to be his son. I, however, also dreamed of having my own room,” he said.

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