Gaynor Young was a talented 28-year-old actress, who tragically fell 18 metres down an open stage lift shaft at the State Theatre in Pretoria in 1989. She broke both legs, both arms, her ribs and every bone in her face. Gaynor underwent a painful six-hour operation, after which she remained in a deep coma for four weeks and a semi-coma for three weeks.
When she finally left the hospital, two months after her fall, it was with extensive brain damage, no hearing whatsoever and complete paralysis down the right side of her body. She could not walk, talk or swallow, and doctors' prognoses were poor. The five storeys shocking fall 26 years ago should have taken her life but it did not; she miraculously survived.
Absa (then Volkskas) set up a trust account for public donations for those who wanted to help Gaynor. The funds gathered there played a small part in supporting her recovery, as she worked with therapists to piece her life back together.
Recently, she decided to step back onto that very stage that changed her life forever. Gaynor has always acknowledged the role Absa played in supporting her recovery and, earlier this year, approached the bank to become an ambassador for the brand, working together to spread her message of hope further.
