A Christmas step forward: Hot Cares helps Sarel walk again

When the Hot Cares team met 54-year-old Sarel, it became clear that this year’s Christmas stories really are bigger. His life changed in a single devastating moment when a small foot injury—complicated by diabetes and delayed medical intervention—led to the amputation of his lower leg. What followed was heartbreak, financial strain, and an overwhelming loss of independence for a man who had spent his entire adult life providing for others.

Today, Sarel and his wife Adri live in a modest one-bedroom cottage, held together by resilience, faith, and the hope that things might get better. Adri earns just R5,000 a month as a dedicated teacher, while their rent alone is R5,600. Every day is a balancing act between survival and the dreams they still carry for the future.

A prosthetic foot—costing R40,000—would not only return Sarel’s mobility, but also the dignity, confidence, and purpose he’s been fighting to regain. As he shared with us, “I’ve always been the one helping others. Now I’m the one who needs help, and that’s not easy. I just want to stand on my own again.”

And so, this Hot Cares Christmas, we stepped in… and we stepped in big!

Listen to how the surprise unfolded at HOT 1027…

Thanks to the enormous generosity of our HOT 102.7FM listeners, Hot Cares is donating R70 000 worth of support to Sarel and Adri—a life-changing intervention that will help this couple breathe again. The elements of the gift can be broken down as follows:

• Full funding of the R40 000 prosthetic foot, giving Sarel the independence and mobility he needs to work again.

• New tyres for Adri’s car, ensuring she can get to work safely and without fear of another breakdown.

• A brand-new 55-inch smart TV, replacing their broken 32-inch set and bringing some joy back into their home.

For a couple who has weathered loss, illness, financial hardship and heartbreak, this moment felt like a turning point. Adri has survived abuse and fought through cancer. Sarel has battled depression after losing his leg and his livelihood. Yet together, they stand—quietly, humbly—trying to rebuild a life that keeps knocking them down.

As Adri told us through tears, “Sarel is not someone who asks for help. But this… this gives him hope again.”

And that is why Hot Cares exists.

Because hope matters. Mobility matters. Dignity matters most.

This Christmas, thanks to you, Sarel will step into 2026 with renewed strength and the belief that he can once again provide for the woman who has stood so bravely beside him.