G4D Tour stars Juan Postigo and Issa Nlareb share their incredible stories of determination, hard work and hope in the latest episode of Life on Tour presented by Buffalo Trace.
Juan Postigo was born with one leg but with the support of his family, after initailly taking up sailing, he took to golf and has gone on to be a two-time G4D Tour winner.
“I was born with one leg. We are a big family, six brothers and sisters. I was the third and the only one with a disability and whether you talk with disabled or anyone, they will always tell you family. How important family is to overcome difficulties in life and a disability is one of those. It’s really important how they show you things can be done and how they treat you. I always say that it was very important for me that they didn’t over-protect me. It has to be hard when you have one kid with one leg to let him fall down and stand by himself. They did that pretty well and because of that I’m an independent person, I live my own life, I’m able to play golf full time. I think that’s because of all the positive messages they send to me and because they let me fall down all the time and I learned how to just get up. I was born with one leg but obviously I’ve got an evolution in my disability. When you’re six years old, life is way easier, you’re a kid and you just play with your crutch. But I’ve had 15 or 16 operations in the last 15 years so it’s getting tougher to be able to play the game but to feel that support and to understand your situation... this is a very good point for the youngsters, you need to understand why and how you are. Nowadays we need to be the perfect person on Instagram for the youngsters. I was born with one leg and I never let that pain come into me, I was a normal kid because I understood my situation from the beginning. I think that’s important not just for disabled people but for everyone.”
Issa Nlareb lost his mum at 11 and after three years living on the streets, stumbled upon a golf course while fleeing the police. He went from retrieving balls to caddying to being a top professional in Africa before a bout of bacterial meningitis saw him lose both legs below the knee and several fingers in 2018. The Cameroonian is now making his way in the all abilities game.
"I lived in the street for three years. One day I was arrested by the police... I hid myself on the golf course. I woke up in the morning and I found some balls by my feet and took two of them and when I went out from the bush I saw the golf course. I saw the green everywhere, it was parradise and just a few minutes after I saw poeple playing. I take the ball to give to them and one of them gives me a dollar. I was like 'wow', I lived in the street for three years and nobody gave me anything, just for two bballs in the morning I got a dollar. That was my business starting and I picked up balls for three or four years, I turned caddie and after caddie I turned pro in 2008.
"At the beginning of 2018, I was good, ready for everything, and I got meningitis. I was in a coma for five days. After five days I wake up and I can't move my head, I can't do anything. After a month I'm back in Cameroon and my stepmum helps me fly to Belgium but they say they cannot do anything and take my extrmeties."
Both men have incredible, inspiring stories, and you can watch them tell them to George Harper Jr below in the Life on Tour presented by Buffalo Trace.
