From Survival to Sovereignty: Leigh van Baalen Shares Her Journey
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South Africans were deeply moved by Kelvin van Baalen's remarkable recovery story after a paragliding accident left him fighting for his life.
But this week on Good Things with Brent Lindeque, we're hearing from the person who stood beside him through every one of those 413 days.
Kelvin spent 413 days in ICU, underwent 27 surgeries, was resuscitated nine times and faced a medical bill of more than R21 million. His recovery inspired thousands, but his mother, Leigh van Baalen, experienced the journey from a very different perspective.
On the podcast, Leigh opens up about what it was like watching her son fight for his life and how she found the strength to keep going.
As she explains, "You know how you do it? You get up every morning, you put one step in front of the other, you take a deep breath… and you do what you need to do, regardless of what the outcome is going to be. You keep moving."
Leigh has since founded the 413 Movement, inspired by the exact number of days Kelvin spent in a burns unit, and has also launched a new book called Survival to Sovereignty.
The conversation offers a powerful look at hope, family and finding purpose after life's toughest challenges.
You can watch or listen to the full episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque now on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
🎧 Watch and listen to the episode on all our social platforms (like all of them).
📆 New episodes drop weekly.
🏡 Powered by BetterBond. Filmed at Primedia Studios.
❤️ Stories that matter. Conversations that count.
But this week on Good Things with Brent Lindeque, we're hearing from the person who stood beside him through every one of those 413 days.
Kelvin spent 413 days in ICU, underwent 27 surgeries, was resuscitated nine times and faced a medical bill of more than R21 million. His recovery inspired thousands, but his mother, Leigh van Baalen, experienced the journey from a very different perspective.
On the podcast, Leigh opens up about what it was like watching her son fight for his life and how she found the strength to keep going.
As she explains, "You know how you do it? You get up every morning, you put one step in front of the other, you take a deep breath… and you do what you need to do, regardless of what the outcome is going to be. You keep moving."
Leigh has since founded the 413 Movement, inspired by the exact number of days Kelvin spent in a burns unit, and has also launched a new book called Survival to Sovereignty.
The conversation offers a powerful look at hope, family and finding purpose after life's toughest challenges.
You can watch or listen to the full episode of Good Things with Brent Lindeque now on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
🎧 Watch and listen to the episode on all our social platforms (like all of them).
📆 New episodes drop weekly.
🏡 Powered by BetterBond. Filmed at Primedia Studios.
❤️ Stories that matter. Conversations that count.
