About me

Heinz Mueller

  As an avid motorbike enthusiast, Heinz always loved taking to the open road. And so it was no different on 12 March 1982, when he left from Olifantsfontein, near Pretoria, for Bloemfontein on his 750cc Suzuki. But coming round a sharp bend, he crashed into a lamppost at high speed. The impact completely severed his left foot and left him covered in deep wounds after he was flung 20m across a double road, landing in front of oncoming traffic. “I still remember the noise of the engine of my motorbike revving next to the lamppost. Only after a yellow plastic bag was pulled over the badly scarred remains of my leg did I realise that I’d lost a foot.”

Heinz was only 21 years old at the time. Now after such a traumatic accident, many people resign themselves to life with very little physical activity, but not Heinz Mueller. He vowed that his physical disability would not affect the way he lives life. And it hasn’t!

LIFE AFTER THE ACCIDENT  Today, Heinz (53) is the owner of a successful business, High Performance Limbs (HPL), which he manages from his home in George. He sources and imports prosthetic products and components from all over the world and distributes them in South Africa. He has also become an avid road runner. After nearly 25 years of using various prosthetic legs and feet that were fitted as his stump changed and technology advanced, he got his first running blade in 2007. That changed his whole life, as a new world of opportunities opened. “Suddenly I was freed from bondage and all the strenuous activities which previously seemed out of reach were suddenly doable.”

Heinz says immediately after the accident, he had to adapt to not having a leg with which to carry on with his day to day activities. “My recovery was rapid due to bloodless surgery and being strong-willed, but all of a sudden I had to wear a prostheses, a device that I knew nothing about. Suddenly I realised how important it was to have the support of family and friends. Emotionally, I was devastated at first. But through determination and positive thinking, I could see my life continue as normal as possible through the eyes of my three beautiful children.”