There is a saying that indicates that "disability does not equal inability". Someone who has made this saying the motto of her life is young Miki Jovanovic, who is using prosthetic legs to train at the AC Promotions Gym in Katutura. Miki Jovanovic originally stems from South Africa, but came to Namibia four years ago. She was born with a rare illness. “I was born with the disability called Fibular Hemimelia, the same as the Paralympics Oscar Pretorius, that means both my bottom legs don't' have the fibula bone. So when you born, your leg are either deformed or you missing” Jovanovic said. Jovanovic's legs were amputated when she was one-year-old and she started using prosthetic legs when she was only three years old. Her prosthesis consists of a custom made socket, liner, knee, pylon, and foot. The 23-year-old Jovanovic is training at the AC Gym four times a week in the early evenings. “When you walk around the town you need do exercise, but your legs are custom-made to fit the size of your rear leg. So if you gain weight you struggle to walk and if you gain a lot of weight then you need to get a whole new pair of legs. That cost a lot of money and sometimes medical aid doesn't cover that all “she said. Immanuel Moses, who is her personal trainer, is pleased with her progress. “I'm so happy to contribute to her health, because the more she exercises, the more she leaves a healthy life. She doesn't pick up a lot of weight, so that she can't struggle to walk” Moses said. Jovanovic is a part-time student at IUM and is now in her final year, aiming at the completion of her Honours Degree in Travel and Tourism.
Published 4 years ago