In 2022, Brittany McCormick pushed herself to learn to walk after her wheelchair broke (she has Cerebral Palsy). She aimed to tackle 100kms, and ended up walking 200kms to raise funds for children with disabilities. Years on, and Brittany’s journey has positively blossomed:

Cape Town, South Africa (28 May 2025) — In 2022, Brittany McCormick caught South Africa’s attention when she decided to walk 100kms after her wheelchair broke. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at a young age, her wheelchair was how she moved through the world. When it broke, Brittany realised just how reliant she was on it, and how much of a game-changer raising funds for wheelchairs would be for those who desperately need them but simply don’t have the means to buy wheels of their own.

Inspired by her own struggle without her wheelchair, Brittany did an incredible thing. She set a goal to walk 100kms to raise funds for children with disabilities, and ended up walking 200kms.

Since then, Brittany has seen her journey blossom and some of her brightest dreams have come true.

In her words!

From Survival to Significance: My Journey as a Motivational Speaker

Some of you may know me from a previous feature on Good Things Guy, and for those who don’t—hello! I’m Brittany McCormick, and I believe with all my heart that a life filled with purpose is one worth fighting for. So much has changed since my last incredible moment in the spotlight, and I feel deeply honoured to share what’s unfolded in my life since becoming a motivational speaker. But before we get into the extraordinary experiences of recent years, allow me to take you back a little.

A Premature Beginning

I was born at 25 weeks—so tiny, so fragile, and with a future that felt uncertain. Doctors weren’t sure if I would survive, and even if I did, they weren’t confident I’d be able to live independently. At one year old, I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement, posture, and muscle coordination. But despite that diagnosis, my parents made a life-altering decision: they would raise me to be as independent and strong as possible.

That decision shaped my life. It meant tough love, big challenges, and endless determination. But most importantly, it meant that my condition would not define my dreams.

And I cannot talk about this journey without speaking about my parents—the pillars of my life. My mom and dad have been my greatest encouragers, my unwavering support system, and my guiding lights. They’ve fought battles beside me, carried me through my lowest moments, and stood with me in every victory. They are my confidants, my teachers, and the foundation of the woman I am today. I am beyond blessed to have them in my life, along with the love and support of my sister and brothers who have also walked this journey with me every step of the way.

Schooling, Struggles and Finding My Voice

I spent many years in a special needs school, where I received support—but I also faced real challenges. Emotionally, I struggled. Academically, I wasn’t thriving. My parents eventually made the decision to homeschool me, hoping a more tailored environment would work better. But even that came with its own trials.

Still, I had a dream. I wanted to be a motivational speaker. I wanted to use my voice to inspire others, to tell people that they can do hard things, of beating the odds—just like I had been doing my whole life.

Eventually, I enrolled in a public speaking course. That course didn’t just teach me how to speak—it taught me how to believe in myself. I learned how to share my story with power, clarity, and confidence. I discovered my message. And most of all, I discovered my purpose.

The 200km Breakthrough

Then came a test of resilience unlike any other. My wheelchair broke, and suddenly, a crucial tool I relied on every day was gone. But rather than retreat in defeat, I leaned into the moment. I launched a campaign—not only to raise funds for a new wheelchair, but to give back to the community that had always supported me.

I set a goal to walk 100 kilometers. It was ambitious. It was bold. And it was bigger than just me. Step by step, day by day, I pushed myself through pain and perseverance. And six months later, I had walked 200 kilometers.

The campaign caught the attention of people across the country. I was featured in the press and on various media platforms. What started as a crisis turned into a national message of hope, showing what’s possible when faith meets effort.

Doors Begin to Open

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at events, churches, and organisations across South Africa. I’ve spoken for the Growth Credo team, Ladies of All Nations South Africa, Life Streams International Church, Rock Mining Components, and the Insure Group. I’ve also shared my message through interviews on platforms like The Red Corner Show, Tina Talks, and Creative Space.

Radio stations like Radio Pulpit and CCFM have featured my story. I was blessed to be the August 2024 cover woman for Joy Magazine and was also featured in Karoo Sisters online magazine. Podcasts like The Different Way of Seeing and The Qotivated Podcast welcomed me to speak about my journey and my faith.

It hasn’t stopped there. I’ve had the honor of being invited by organizations such as the Subrena Love Foundation, Joy Magazine’s partners, and even networks of women in business. And all of this—every single opportunity—has grown from the seeds of a dream I refused to let go of.

The Heart Behind the Hustle

Let me be clear: chasing your dreams is not easy. There are days when it feels impossible. There are days when people don’t believe in you, or you don’t believe in yourself. But I’m here to tell you it’s worth it.

It’s worth every tear, every late night, every unanswered message, every “no,” and every moment of doubt. Because when you keep showing up, and when you trust God to open doors that no person can close, your life begins to reflect His glory.

I’m still growing, learning, and reaching for more. But one thing I know for sure is that I’m committed to being a motivation both on and off the stage—whether I’m speaking to a crowd of hundreds or encouraging someone one-on-one. Every interaction matters. Every life matters.

What’s Next?

My journey is far from over. I still have so much I want to do, so many people I want to reach. I hope to continue sharing my story, not just as a testimony of survival, but as a testament to the power of hope, purpose, and faith.

I want people to know that life’s hardest challenges can become the foundation for your greatest victories.

To anyone reading this who feels stuck, uncertain, or discouraged—I see you. I’ve been there. But if I’ve learned anything on this journey, it’s this: You are stronger than you know. And your story isn’t over yet.
Keep walking.

Sources: Brittany McCormick

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post From Survival to Significance: Brittany McCormick’s Inspiring Journey  appeared first on Good Things Guy.

In breaking good news, Flip the Cancer swimmers raised in excess of R130,000 for the Children’s Hospital Trust. But, this was not just a successful fundraiser. It was a swim for solidarity. For hope. And, to show others the impossible can be done as swimmer Ray (who started and did the swim whilst undergoing cancer treatment) proved brilliantly:

Cape Town, South Africa (13 November 2024) — Twelve water polo players recently united as the Flip the Cancer squad and embarked on an icy mission of solidarity and hope for great success.

Flip the Cancer swimmer Ray Mc Callum is no stranger to the bitterly cold waters surrounding Robben Island. Just after his 70th, he swam to the island and by his 71st, he one-upped himself by heading there and back to shore. Ray planned to do the same for his 74th birthday. However, as he tells Good Things Guy, in between all his swims he was diagnosed with cancer and endured a heavy year of treatment.

Still determined to do the Robben Island swim and support an important cause—the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Trust— Ray’s water polo teammates decided their friend should not do it alone. It was an opportunity to swim in solidarity with those in the group who were fighting cancer (Ray and Paul Martin) and to splash a little hope into the lives of young people who desperately need it. And so the Flip the Cancer squad was formed!

Their end-goal hoped to see them raise funds for the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Trust, which is committed to protecting every child they serve. In a world and Western Cape where child abuse is a heart-breaking reality, the swimmers wanted to help the helpers supporting vulnerable children.

In the beginning of 2023, the Children’s Hospital Trust launched a comprehensive 5-year project dedicated to strengthening care for vulnerable children specifically (those who have experienced neglect, abuse and violence). It’s a project that seeks to expand its impact beyond the hospital walls to local clinics and more hospitals in a bid to give healthcare professionals more resources to identify and support child protection.

This way, children can receive counselling, support and psychological help—all of which are imperative to breaking cycles of abuse.

The Children’s Hospital Trust Project has 3 Objectives:

• Strengthening medical and surgical service co-ordination
• Skills Development and the development of training/learning platforms (this includes training for child protection teams at District Facilities)
• Service integration and facilitating sustainable improvements across the health system

In a massive dose of inspiration when it comes to overcoming the seemingly impossible, Ray shares that he wanted to do the swim whilst still undergoing treatment to show what can be done when one sets one’s mind to it.

On the 26/27 October weekend, the swimmers joined forces to tackle the Robben Island-Blouberg channel. The Flip the Cancer squad was comprised of Ray, John Dickerson, Nigel Cones, Paul Hablutzel, Brad Birnie, Rod Panagos, Kevin Ordman, Andrew Dawson, Oli Daffarn, Mike Solomons, Justin Hughes and Barry Gray.

This is despite the loss of Paul, who sadly passed away just a week before the swim.

Determined to honour him and do their part for the future of children in the Western Cape, the swimmers managed to raise in excess of R130,000, with funds still flowing in.

It’s an incredible story of exercising resilience for those you may never meet and flexing love in motion for those you care for. It’s a story that reminds us that we’re stronger together and one that reminds us that it’s worth giving our all to the battles we face, whether in our provinces or in our bodies. And it’s a story that’s made a massive difference, not just to the children in question, but to the readers who might just believe they have the power to do something extraordinary, too.

Sources: GTG Interview 

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Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Flip the Cancer Swimmers Raise Fortune for Children’s Hospital Trust! appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Letchen du Plessis hasn’t just earned gold at the Adaptive CrossFit Games. She’s overcome incredible adversity that included the loss of functioning in her leg, multiple surgeries, rehabilitation and most importantly, resilience:

San Antonio, Texas (25 September 2024) — Over the weekend, Letchen du Plessis made South Africa enormously proud when she won gold in the ‘Moderate Neurological Impairment’ category at the Adaptive CrossFit Games—a challenge that tests both physical power and discipline but also gives the spotlight to champions who have shown how much resilience can achieve.

Here, Letchen shone for South Africa with the culmination of years of effort and a story that’ll remind you why never giving up matters.

What began as an injury on the netball court years ago would eventually reveal itself as the catalyst that changed Letchen’s life forever.

An avid netball and water polo player, Letchen decided to take netball on more professionally and was offered a scholarship to play the sport at North-West University. The young athlete was training hard and often. However, an injury that put her hip out at the end of practice became a much bigger problem a few weeks down the line, and it was eventually discovered during a procedure to heal what had been damaged that her bone was not receiving blood.

Letchen was told that she needed to make a big choice to either receive a hip replacement or undergo experimental surgery. Choosing the latter, one surgery became many after she found herself struggling to handle basic actions like putting on her socks. Under the surface, this was not just a byproduct of post-op recovery. In actuality, she was dealing with something much more serious—her left leg was no longer responding due to nerve trauma, and she was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome and dystonia.

In spite of her surgical successes, doctors were led to understand that the trauma of her hip dislocation and the surgeries could’ve provoked her leg to essentially be perceived as an enemy to her brain—meaning she had adverse reactions to basic sensations like water on her leg, plus a lack of responsiveness.

For someone who considered themselves an athlete for so much of their life, the shock of her new reality was heart-wrenching. But, the resilience her life in sport had taught her was still very much alive.

By 2019, she had received a spinal cord stimulator and understood herself as ‘semi-bionic’. CrossFit became an important part of her rehabilitation and, soon, her passion.

It wasn’t long until the long and gruelling road to learning how to live with her ‘new’ leg inspired her to compete in the 2021 CrossFit Games, where she absolutely killed it despite some hiccups.

“Letchen faced daunting challenges that many might have found insurmountable,” says Motley Crew CrossFit coach Jason Solomon, who has trained her. “However, with her characteristic grit, she refused to let her condition define her future.”

Of the 2021 NOBULL Cross Fit Games, Jason shares that it was monumental for the athlete.

“That first day [of the Games] tested her in ways she hadn’t expected—told to run three miles, something her body wasn’t physically prepared for, she made the decision to hop and skip her way through the entire course,” he explains. It was there that footage captured her struggle; footage that inspired Fraser Allen and Sean Adams to help develop a unique brace just for her.

This custom brace enabled her to engage muscles she had not been able to use in years.

“For the first time in a long while, she could run without crutches—an emotional milestone that set her on the path to success in her sport,” Jason shares.

By 2022, Letchen was competing powerfully at the 2022 CrossFit Games. And to see this followed with the 2024 success was not just a win for her and all who have supported her, but the entire country and all the people who have been told before that they’d reached the end of the road.

 

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A post shared by Letchen du Plessis (@letchen_dp)

For Letchen, it’s all about focusing on what you can control instead of obsessing over what you can’t. She’s gone on not only to solidify her place as a CrossFit champion but has tackled other athletic endeavours like the formidable Robben Island Crossing.

 

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A post shared by Letchen du Plessis (@letchen_dp)

Adds an immensely proud Jason:

“Letchen has shown the world that, despite challenges, anything is possible with the right mindset. As she says ‘it’s not your disability stopping you but your mind most of the time.’

“Today, Letchen du Plessis is more than just an athlete—she’s a symbol of hope, determination, and the power of the human spirit. Whether she’s lifting in the gym, running through a CrossFit course, or inspiring the next generation of athletes, one this is certain: her story is far from over.”

Sources: Email Submission; CrossFit Games 

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Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Letchen du Plessis Makes SA So Proud at the Adaptive CrossFit Games appeared first on Good Things Guy.

A Comrades runner put his resilience (and socks) to the test after he ran the majority of the race’s second half without shoes! Talk about pushing through no matter what.

Durban, South Africa (10 June 2024) — Training for the Comrades is one thing. Getting through the race is another. But getting through the world-famous trek without shoes deserves its own kind of praise—and that’s exactly what many are commending Comrades runner Mushavhi Hadzhi for!

Taking to Twitter, Mushavhi shared that his latest Comrades medal is more special than his others, comparing it to the first medal he ever claimed for the ultramarathon. This is because it put his resilience to the test like never before, as Mushavhi made the decision to run without shoes and essentially in socks!

After his chosen running shoes had caused irritation and pain for his ankle and alterations didn’t work, Mushavhi decided to scrap the shoes all together; determined to give the race his all. This meant that he covered the majority of the race’s second half shoeless!

Having ran almost all part of second half without shoes, this medals is more special just like my first @ComradesRace . My favourite running shoes by @adidasZA was causing irritation and pain on my ankle, i tried making alterations but that didn’t work. I had to run with shocks pic.twitter.com/os1E3RvUbO

— Mushavhi (@Mshavi_Haji) June 10, 2024

“Some runners kept on asking me why am I running without shoes? My reply was simple: this pain is temporary, finishing is [a] personal challenge. Every run I have made in the past 8 months was a preparation towards [the] Comrades, there is no way that I am having DNF because of shoes.” 

DNF refers to a ‘Did Not Finish’ status.

Many people were inspired by Mushavhi’s commitment to his goal; commending and respecting his resilience. Because of his inner-strength and motivation, what could’ve been his worst Comrades turned out to be a memorable one–and one that reminded him and all of us onlookers that mind often surpasses matter.

Sources: Mushavi Hadzhi

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Comrades Runner Persists Through Race Without Shoes! appeared first on Good Things Guy.