Friends of Vuyi Radebe

As many of you might already know, our friend Vuyi Radebe has been diagnosed with ALS. And as many of you probably also know, ALS is a debilitating (and usually fatal) disease which currently has no known cure.

If you know Vuyi only casually, you probably think of him as a cocksure rugby captain. Or maybe you know him as a political provocateur who is never afraid to offer his quasi-capitalist/communist perspective, or to tell you how a certain issue might be viewed from the streets & alleyways of Alexandra Township in South Africa where he grew up.

For those of us who know Vuyi well also know that he is also a generous & loyal friend, a kind & loving father of two incredible kids, and a devoted husband. If you know Vuyi well you can’t possibly help but be inspired by his life story and the challenges he has single-handedly overcome to get to where he is now.

That’s what makes what he is facing now doubly tragic. Right at the time when all his “against the odds” achievements and successes in life are beginning to pay dividends and putting his family on a more promising trajectory than the one he had as a young man, he is facing something none of us could overcome, and that very few could even manage without significant help from family and friends. But, as most of you know, Vuyi – unlike most of us – has no extended family support. Quite the opposite, to be frank.

But Vuyi does have an incredible collection of people he has touched: good friends, teammates, fraternity brothers, work colleagues, etc . . . people that he blessed with his friendship and helped inspire with his life story and example.

That’s why we are encouraging donations to Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS) in honor of Vuyi. CCALS has helped Vuyi and his wife, Pam, immensely. He is currently taking a course of experimental drugs that he hopes will slow down the progression of the disease. In the near future he will also need all kinds of technology to help him get around and communicate. CCALS has helped him every step of the way and will continue to help him as the disease progresses.

Please join us in helping to support the CCALS in honor of the Radebe family as they face probably the toughest challenge any of us can imagine. You can make tax-deductible contributions at ccals.org/friends-vuyi. To learn more about CCALS please visit ccals.org, and call any of us to talk more about Vuyi and how we can all help. Thank you for your time.

Guy Dixon, Kevin Fleming, Dave Jones, Warren Valdmanis and Ray Wadlow