After his injury, Quintin van Jaarsveld turned a page, combined his love of rugby and journalism to write a new story for his life
At age 16, playing scrumhalf for Suid-Natal High School’s first XV against Durban North College in Durban on 15 April 2000, Quintin van Jaarsveld’s life changed as he broke the C5 vertebrae in his neck, which left him a quadriplegic. The injury hasn’t stopped his passion for rugby at all.
Quintin ended up undergoing nine surgeries in total due to a stomach ulcer that developed. He spent three months in Entabeni hospital, followed by three months of rehabilitation in Hillbrow before returning home to Uvongo on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
“It wasn’t anything malicious,” he remembers. “I sniped around the fringe of a ruck, and was caught in a ball-and-all tackle. I just happened to crash onto the top of my head and break my neck.”
After matriculating, Quintin combined his passion for sport and writing by completing a creative writing course through Intec and a community journalism course through UNISA, which led to a successful career as a sports journalist.
Quintin has worked as editor at SARugby.com, sports editor at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com. He boasts close to 20 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer, who has written for SA Rugby’s website, while he is a regular contributor at Bet Central.
His work has also featured in various newspapers including The Witness and Daily Maverick, as well as Sports Illustrated, Sport24, Zigzag, Sixty40 Bodyboarding, Physique MMA Magazine, Bicycling, Cycle Nation and Enduro World Magazine.
Throughout his career, Quintin’s work has been recognised far and wide with a number of awards, including being named the Outstanding Journalist of the Year at The Fever Media Group, winning the MDDA- Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year award and taking home the Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year award three times.
“God can take the biggest negative and turn it into a positive against all odds,” says Quintin. “Through my injury, I discovered my calling and have been blessed with a career that, for someone who barely pulled through and was a shell of his former self, seemed impossible. I’m, and we as a family, are who we are through Christ who strengthens us.”
A devout Christian, Quintin has a strong support structure and calls his parents and older brother the “heroes” of his story: “My brother, who was 19 at the time, put his life aside and helped me with everything for the first few years after my injury. More than anything, he gave me my smile back… eventually, and remains a rock to this day.”
“My parents are the most loving and selfless people on earth. They help me with my daily routine and make life as easy, or should I say, less complicated, as possible. I have the best sister-in-law and nephews as well. I’m truly blessed with the most amazing family imaginable,” Quintin shares.
“Above all, I wouldn’t have made it a single day without the love and support of the Lord Almighty. He carried me through the darkest days and is with me every single day. He is my heartbeat and my reason for living.”
Quintin credits the Players’ Fund for playing a very important role in his life. He shares: “The Players’ Fund has been a pillar of strength in my life, without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
“They’ve been there since day one, providing wheelchairs, consumables and most recently, an inverter that enables me to cover rugby during load-shedding. It’s a gift that keeps on giving and has relieved me of a world of stress! I cannot thank the Players’ Fund enough for their continuous support,” Quintin, who headed the Players’ Fund’s 40th anniversary media campaign, adds.
Staying involved in rugby and sport in general through journalism has kept Quintin going and his injury has not stopped him from dreaming big: “I’m enjoying being fortunate enough to write about sport and do social media marketing for Drone Gear, my brother’s retail store in Waterfall, but my main goal is to someday work for SA Rugby full time. That would be such an honour.”
