Swimming program boosts confidence of amputated Kraaifontein minor

An 11-year-old Scottsdene girl who lost her left leg to bone cancer is being offered free swimming lessons for as long as she wants by a non-profit company.

Zaarah was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in August 2019 and she had her left leg amputated in January 2020, according to her mother, Lizette Baartman.

After Ms Baartman spoke to Michael Foxxy, co-founder of the Foxxy Foundation, earlier this year about her daughter, the non-profit company signed her up for its adopt-a-swimmer programme, which, according to Mr Foxxy, has taught 260 children water safety and how to swim..

It’s a 12-week programme, but Mr Foxxy said Zaarah would have lessons for as long as she wanted.

“We decided to give Zaarah free swimming lessons for as long as she would like to swim. Our goal with Zaarah is to get her to the paralympic team as she is an amputee and a cancer survivor. But we are going to try and push so that she can compete against able-bodied kids. So we have a long goal and plan for Zaarah. She has the potential to do very well in future,” he said.

Mrs Baartman said her daughter had lacked confidence and interest in school until she had started the swimming lessons.

“I am very happy because it changed her life because she had an anxiety attack. She did not want to go to school because of the stairs so after her first lesson everything changed.”

The Foxxy Foundation has a pool in Eikendal where it runs a private swimming school, but Mr Foxxy said they hoped to establish a youth development centre or swimming academy for graduates of the adopt-a-swimmer programme on a property next door.

For more information about the foundation, contact Robin Foxley at 082 044 2132..