MARK ETHERIDGE: African record holder Mandilené Hoffmann flies SA flag at wheelchair games

In athlete Mandilené Hoffmann, SA has one of a kind. And that she is already an African record holder in the discus event is a miracle in itself.

The Pretoria-born teenager’s tale is about a girl who literally grew too fast and just kept on growing, even after specialists said she ought to have stopped.

Born with an extremely rare disorder, EZH2 Overgrowth Syndrome, Hoffmann’s skeletal system developed too fast for her body’s muscles, nervous system and connective tissue to catch up.

And yet, she’s proudly representing the rainbow nation in November, World Disability Month. She’s in action at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Association Games in Portugal with the world’s leading athletes in this track and field category.

It was only as she started going through growth spurts that her parents realised something was different. Explains mom, Madri van Harmelen: “She was born 34 weeks into pregnancy and was a big baby at 3.56kg in weight and 56cm in length.

“There were lots of small problems, particularly with her tear ducts and then at five months she didn’t want to sit and we learnt that she already had scoliosis of her spine as well as problems with her fingers. But experts couldn’t find anything definite until we got into touch with a geneticist, Dr George Gericke.”

It was Gericke who said that the extent of her condition would only emerge as she grew. And so it proved to be.

“When she was eight her knees gave her problems. I’d be talking to her and the next thing she’d be on the ground as her knee collapsed. But we dealt with the situation by means of humour, and still do so till this day.”

The geneticist took the step of sending a blood sample from Hoffman to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in the US where it was confirmed that not only was it a confirmed case of EZH2 Syndrome but her diagnosis was a supernova case, the first type yet recorded.

But the kind-natured athlete simply took it in her stride, despite having to deal with camptodactyly in her fingers, which required straightening surgery in 2015, and having the inconvenience of a club foot.

“Hey, I just try to approach life as normally as I can,” says Hoffman. “I may have a unique syndrome and my body often doesn’t want to play ball but I’ve got so much to be thankful for. There are other people and children that have a way tougher time than me, whether they are handicapped or not.

“I just try to be as positive as I can ... when I do feel down, I talk to people about my feelings — whether it’s my parents, friends or my sports psychologist and we work through it. Family and friends are my support structure.”

That much is confirmed by her mom. “We just turn everything into an adventure. Her back brace for the scoliosis was nicknamed Skillie and her leg-braces, designed by [Icexpress prosthetics ace] Johan Snyders, is called Krokkenoster.

Discus gold

“Whenever we encounter a problem, she’ll think long and hard about it and then say, ‘Agh mom, we’ll just build another bridge and get over it’.”

Throwing is Hoffmann’s superpower and something she shines in. Her highlight was taking discus gold in the F44 class junior world para-athletics championships in Switzerland three years ago and breaking the Africa record with a throw of 31.66m in the same discipline earlier this year.

The games will see a momentum shift for Hoffmann though as due to the sheer extent of her disability after the walk from the athletes’ call centre to the throwing arena she’s exhausted before she’s even looked at the discus.

With this in mind, coach Daniel Damon (who also coaches multiple Paralympian athlete Zanele Situ and used to train now-retired Rio Paralympics javelin gold medallist Reinhardt Hamman) is cautiously optimistic that his latest charge (since October) will be reclassified to the F57 (seated) category while in Portugal this week.

“I’ve known her for a while, having been to a few global events as the team’s throwing coach. Throwing while standing is becoming too difficult for her but she has a huge future as a seated thrower. She’s a hard worker and won’t take long to adapt.

“I’ve got no doubt that she’ll break both the shot put and discus F57 SA records in the near future.

Great combination

“She’s a born sportsperson and is going to be a huge success as a Paralympic athlete. She moves down to Stellenbosch in January and we’ll be able to work properly together. She should qualify for the world para-champs in Paris next year and then the Paralympics in the same city the following year.”

Hoffmann can’t wait to make the move south. “I’ve got to know Uncle Danny very well over the years and we form a great combination.

“Away from sport I’ve almost finished my matric. I want to study biomechanics and I’ve also got my ASA 1 coaching certificate from Free State University. I’m so hoping that I can then help less-privileged athletes than me, especially disabled athletes.”

Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”, and though Hoffmann may not be able to properly physically walk the talk in this regard, she loves animals.

“She’s passionate about all her fellow humans and animals,” says Madri. “She has an elephant and rhino mascot called Olie Folie and Chubby [respectively] ... that she takes all over the world where she tries to educate people about the importance of wildlife conservation and the scourge of poaching.”

She may have grown too fast for her own health, but young Hoffmann’s happiness comes from building bridges for all.