Ability is so often a mindset

Life happens is what we say in the insurance and investments industry, the one I work in. We also use terms such as “disability”, “income replacer” and “retrenchment cover” when we try to tell people how important it is to have cover for if something happens to you.

I recently met someone who has reiterated how great such cover can be, but also that being differently abled can be a great ability, not a “disability” as we often call it for lack of a better term.

I met Caleb Swanepoel via social media, and we became friends. He has since asked me to become his mentor as he works as an innovator in the fintech industry, and managing innovation is one of my strengths. Maybe I learn more from him than the other way around.

Caleb survived a shark attack while bodysurfing at Buffalo Bay in June 2015. He lost his right leg above the knee to a huge great white. That he survived was a miracle. If it hadn’t been that his femur artery clotted, went into spasm, and closed off, and for his brother Alexander who pulled him out of the water, things could have turned out very differently. Surfers on the beach helped until the National Sea Rescue Institute volunteers arrived.

Then, after his hospital stay, he had to go back to varsity on crutches and figure out how to walk with a prosthetic leg when he was ready for that. As a drama student who had to use his body to the fullest, he had to adapt to his new life both emotionally and physically.

Today he calls himself a survivor, a fintech specialist, and an athlete. He is an active participant in the International Surfing Association Adaptive Surfing Championships. He is also an advocate for inclusion and diversity. ?

What inspires me about Caleb is how grateful and positive he is, and that he says having lost his leg doesn’t make him more special than anyone else. He is still very blessed. Facing your fears, shifting your mindset to see challenges as opportunities, and making friends with what holds you back, are three key values he lives by. He says while being home-schooled his mom taught them, “It all depends on you”. That came back to him in hospital, and that is how he still moves forward.

To me his story moves me forward, and I in turn feel blessed that my career has brought me into contact with people like Caleb. I also see it as a privilege to work in an industry that really shows its value when our clients need us the most – when the chips are down.

Momentum has Momentum Life that helps people with cover if they lose their physical or mental abilities and cannot do their daily work anymore. At Momentum Investo we also have cover – cover for when you cannot continue with your investments that you took out to ensure that your finances will help you along on your journey to success.

We want to make sure that you continue contributing to your investment goals, whether it is for your child’s education or your spouse’s retirement. Seeing that Caleb is a sports fanatic, I’m tempted to say we’re on the bench for you in the game of life. If something happens to you, we can pull on your jersey and pay the contributions.

With the Contribution Replacer feature of your Momentum Investo product, we pay the contributions if you are no longer bodily able to, or when you die, or in both cases. You can protect your savings goals on both your retirement annuities and endowments in this way.

You never know when you will need a safety net like this. And while Momentum Investo wants to be your reserve player, we hope we stay on the bench.

But even if something is to happen to me or someone I love, I take great courage from Caleb’s story. He believes one is never a victim, but always a survivor. Even if he has days when he experiences that nothing makes sense, he forces himself to exercise or do something different to take his mind off it. He is determined to hang onto the belief that things will turn out right.

About Geldhelde:?

This editorial is linked to Momentum Geldhelde, a money show that helps South Africans to manage their finances better. Viewers can catch season 4 of Momentum Geldhelde every Thursday on VIA TV (DStv channel 147) at 18:00. The show tackles pertinent financial issues facing South Africans today. Momentum is part of Momentum Metropolitan Life Limited, an authorised financial services and registered credit provider. ?2022 Momentum Metropolitan Life Limited.?

*About Momentum Investo:

Momentum’s Investo makes it easy for clients to invest regularly and to stay invested. With their understandable and competitive product offering Investo helps clients to stay focused and enjoy excellent value when they remain committed to their savings goals.

For more information on the corresponding Momentum Geldhelde episode?on ‘disability cover’ click?on https://www.momentum.co.za/momentum/campaigns/general/geldhelde-money-heroes-2022-disability-cover .

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