Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 111, October 2018 | Page 24

ROAD RUNNING
till then everything had been OK, but then both my
ankles, both knees and my pelvis all just gave up at
25km, because I had never run that far before – my
furthest was a 21km. I went into the second medical
tent on the route and I overheard the doctors telling
my guides that the race was over for me, but I told
myself, we raised all this money to get here, so I can’t
quit. I couldn’t go back to my Headway Rehab group
and say I failed. I just had to get over that wall. No,
make that a mountain!”
That saw Bev leave the medical tent and get going
again, eventually finishing the race close to the
seven-hour mark, with his wife Angela waiting for him
at the finish. “My wife had to be there. She deserved
it, because as my caregiver, this is hard for her… a
brain injury is really difficult to deal with. I just cried
a lot when I finished, because I’m a very emotional
guy from my injury, but I took it positively, because I
believe that life isn’t over, you’ve got to get up and do
the best you can.”
Bevan with his New York Marathon Guides, Samantha and Lauren
In 2015 Bevan Oschger narrowly survived a hit-and-run accident, but was left
with a permanent brain injury. In spite of this, Bevan has taken on some incredible
physical challenges, including the 2017 New York Marathon, in order to raise
awareness of what it means to live with a traumatic brain injury – and he has big
plans for more endurance challenges. – BY SEAN FALCONER
I
n November last year, an irrepressible spirit called Bevan Oschger completed the New York Marathon, with
his two faithful guides alongside him every step of the way. One was Lauren Reimers, a biokineticist from the
Justin Jeffery Biokineticists practice in Johannesburg, where he goes for rehab treatment, and the other was
Samantha Shirley, an American runner who is a member of the Achilles International Club that sponsors the New
York entries each year for athletes with a disability.
The reason Bevan was running with the Achilles Club was that he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in 2015
and left with a serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). While his body recovered from most of the injuries, his brain
injury seriously affects his balance and co-ordination, making walking a challenge, let alone running, and he
was left with a permanent loss of most of his memory. Just getting to the finish line of the marathon was a huge
achievement, but given his never-say-die attitude, it really came as no surprise to those who know him.
“The trip to New York is a bit of a blur, even when I see the pics, but there is one specific thing I remember clearly
of the marathon,” says Bev. “Around 25km in, memories of the accident were coming back and stopping me. Up
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ISSUE 111 OCTOBER 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za
THE FATEFUL DAY
On 12 August 2015, Bevan was on his way home
from work on his motorbike when he was hit by a car.
The driver sped off, leaving him seriously injured and
unconscious in the road. “I was a building contractor,
but I had lost my passion for work in Joburg, so I
had temporarily moved back up to Hoedspruit, near
my parents, to get back into it. I had just finished
a job and the client was very happy, and then the
accident happened a few kays from home. I have no
real memory of the accident, but remember meeting
my parents for lunch earlier that day. A lot of my past
went with the accident,” says Bev.
He was in a coma for four weeks, and when he
finally woke up, he saw Angela sitting by his bed and
recognised her. “She said I had woken up 20 times
already, but never recognised her. I actually thought the
hospital was home, as I had no memories. After being
released from ICU into the care of my wife, my recovery
started, and six months later, having healed from my
injuries, I began physical rehab, because my wife saw
that something was wrong with me. It was a case of
this guy’s lift wasn’t going to the top floor,” he jokes.
“My left side was slower than the right, affecting my
balance and co-ordination, and after many, many
months of physical therapy, I was referred to Justin
Jeffery for further therapy to heal my broken body.
Justin is a biokineticist specialising in spinal cord and
neurological rehabilitation, helping patients realise
their full potential and regain as much self-sufficiency
as possible. His motto is, ‘The only disability in life is a
bad attitude,’ and he started me with running, as that
helped with my balance.”
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