Rise again - the story of Gaynor Young

You would need to have a heart of stone to watch Gaynor Young’s story and not feel a pang of emotion surge through you. She is an inspiration and a born survivor who overcame a great tragedy that changed her life forever.

Gaynor was a talented actress whose burgeoning career was cut short in 1989 when a stage accident threatened not only her livelihood, but also her life. She fell five stories down a stage shaft at the State Theatre, and suffered severe brain damage that placed her in a coma for five weeks. Doctors told her family that she would never walk, talk or hear again, but Gaynor clung to the glimmer of hope that she would one day recover. She knew that not all was lost.

Determined to rebuild her life, Gaynor embarked on the long and grueling road to recovery. Two years ago, with Absa’s help, she confronted her past and returned to the place where she fell – the stage that almost took everything away from her. An emotional experience that brought tears to her eyes.

Gaynor’s powerful Prosper story is not only about what she lost when she fell 18 metres down an unguarded shaft at the State Theatre, but also a story of what she gained when she rose again, and proved the doctors wrong.

With intensive therapy, an Absa Trust Fund for donations and her innate sense of willpower and strength, Gaynor gained her life back and showed the world what one can achieve by never losing hope. We’re proud to have played a part in Gaynor’s recovery.