Global community opens hearts to Gqeberha boy after freak rugby injury

Pearson High School’s rugby team was en route to George last weekend, about to play one of their biggest rugby fixtures of the year against Outeniqua High School, when Matthew Els got the message that he had been promoted to the first team.

Going in for a tackle, 11 minutes into the second half, a freak accident laid him out and cut his match short. But it was only later, after he had been taken to hospital, when the full extent of his injuries became apparent.

With a fractured skull, nose and jaw, his parents wanted to get him home to Gqeberha as soon as possible for his treatment and recovery to begin.

Before they could even begin to wonder how they would fund the R19,000 medical transport from George, word had spread about their son’s injuries and the global community had opened its heart.

Fundraising kicks in

An anonymous donor had paid the full fee to bring Matthew home, while an online Back-a-Buddy campaign raised nearly double the funds needed within a few short hours.

And earlier this week, unbeknown to Matthew and his family, a second fundraising campaign was launched to help with any further medical expenses, and has already raised upwards of R130,000.

“We cannot even fathom how our son’s incident on the rugby field reached so many people and why they would help in such a massive way. And we certainly cannot put into words how grateful we are for the amount of love and support we have received in the last few days,” said Matthew’s father, Jaco Els.

Recalling the events of last Saturday, 18 April, Matthew’s parents did not accompany the team to George, and Jaco was watching the televised match from home.

“Matthew went to tackle the boy from Outeniqua and was spun around completely. At that moment, one of his teammates also came in for the tackle, and the two of them clashed heads.

“Matthew went down and was taken off the field. I assumed he had a concussion and that he might even come back onto the field, but he didn’t.”

The call every parent dreads

After the game, Matthew’s younger brother Ethan, who played under-16 rugby earlier the day, phoned their father.

“Dad, it’s bad,” Ethan said.

An ambulance took Matthew to the George Mediclinic where a CT-scan revealed the full extent of his injuries.

Besides an obvious concussion, his nose was broken in three places, both his eye sockets were fractured, his top jaw on the left side of his face was fractured, and he suffered a spider web fracture to the front of his skull.

To his parents’ relief, Matthew suffered no serious brain trauma or spinal injuries.

“Luckily, the school and other parents immediately took charge of the situation and made sure he was taken care of. Our first priority was to get Matthew home.”

The next morning, after a series of phone calls between Jaco, the hospital and the medical aid, they were told the medical aid might not cover Matthew’s transport home, because he could receive the required treatment at the facility where he was already admitted.

Jaco was still on the phone dealing with the medical aid when his wife got a very short, to-the-point message – hang up the phone, your boy is on his way home.

This was the first time they heard that a Back-a-Buddy campaign had been launched to cover Matthew’s transport. Some donations came from fellow Pearson parents and friends, but the bulk of the R36,000 – far exceeding the R19,000 goal – came from anonymous donors, some of them abroad.

“Even before the fundraiser had reached its goal, someone had already paid the hospital. We still don’t quite know how to process what happened,” said Anita Els, Matthew’s mother.

Surgery scheduled

By 5pm on Sunday, Matthew was booked in at Life St George’s Hospital in Gqeberha. He underwent surgery the following day.

“While we were at the hospital, someone contacted us to ask about the Back-a-Buddy online. I told them it was only to cover his transport and it was already closed. That’s when we learned that someone had started a second campaign, with a R200,000 goal, to help with Matthew’s treatment.

“Again, we never asked for this. We are not the type of people to ask for anything. I struggle to understand where all this support is coming from,” Jaco said with a smile, and tears welling up in his eyes.

Scrolling through the list of donations, Anita said two immediately caught her attention – one for R50,000 and another for R20, both from anonymous donors.

“The R50,000 is simply mind-blowing, and the R20 came with a message saying ‘Jesus loves you bro’. That person, maybe a friend or a fellow pupil, calling him bro and reaching out to him means so much to us,” Anita said.

Jaco and Anita said considering his injuries, Matthew’s condition could have been much worse, and they are grateful for the strides he has already made on his road to recovery.

When asked about his injuries, a groggy Matthew, with his face still covered in bandages, swelling and bruises, simply said: “It’s rugby. These things happen.”

What actually happened

And you might be wondering: but what about the other guy?

The head that caused the damage belonged to Matthew’s teammate, Pearson High School front rower Dewald Niemand.

The two have been friends since they were four years old, and other than a slight bump and a lot of concern for his friend, Dewald walked away unscathed.

“We are actually glad it was Dewald. This way we know there was no malicious intent and Matthew’s injuries were the result of an absolute freak accident,” Jaco said.

“Dewald came to visit Matthew. They will remain best of friends, and they are already laughing about what happened.” DM