Former athlete recounts harrowing night: " The bullet missed my heart by a millimeter"

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Darren Thomas was the picture of health and fitness, a budding rugby player who played for the Lions 7's team as well as a kickboxer who had aspirations of earning his South African colours in the sport.

This all changed in one tragic morning, killing off his dreams and altering his life ahead forever.

Three men entered his parents property where he was staying and violently attacked him. Darren was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver and shot at point blank range in the chest. Darren was 27 at the time.

Darren's father was the first one at the scene after the vicious attack, finding his son laying on the floor, Darren had been shot in the chest, the bullet missing his heart by just a millimeter.

He was in ICU for six days, the bullet raptured his lung and fragmented his spine which left him paralyzed from the chest down. He was told that he was now a C 5 Paraplegic.

Listen as Darren recounts that tragic incident in his own words
9 Feb 2021 English South Africa Society & Culture · Personal Journals

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