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

Loading player...
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

Other recent episodes

Confession: Should Photos of the Ex Remain on the Family Walls?

Mark shared a heartfelt dilemma: after marrying his wife and moving into her home, he found the walls still adorned with family photos featuring her ex-husband and their children. Mark wonders if it’s fair to ask his wife to remove these reminders of her past, or if he’s being unreasonable…
11 Sep 10 min

Kiddies Hotline: Teach us a new word that you recently learnt

Stacey and J Sbu asked the kids of KZN to become teachers by sharing a new word they’ve learned this year and explaining its meaning in their own words. Nine-year-old James impresses everyone with “hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia” (the fear of long words) while Nicholas shares the word “discombobulated,” meaning confused. Other young…
10 Sep 4 min

Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba's journey and the unfiltered power of Don't Hold Back

In a world where vulnerability is often met with judgment, Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba stands as a beacon of courage and authenticity. As the host of the Don’t Hold Back podcast, Nozibele has transformed her personal journey into a platform that not only challenges stigma but also amplifies voices that are too…
10 Sep 15 min

How Email Tone Shapes Communication

Email tone is a subtle yet powerful aspect of digital communication. As Stacey and J Sbu discussed, the way a message is phrased can completely change its meaning and the recipient’s reaction. Stacey noted, “You can say the same thing in two different ways and get two very different responses.”…
9 Sep 11 min

Listen: If days were dates, who would you swipe right on?

Ever wondered what would happen if the days of the week were people and you had to pick one to date? Well, Stacey, J Sbu, and their listeners did just that, and the results are as wild as a Friday night out! Let’s start with Monday. Monday’s the overachiever in…
8 Sep 11 min