Your
April 2021 – Issue 18
Matters The community paper to whom your wellness matters. facebook.com/yourwellnessza
@YourWellnessZA
@your_wellness_za PUBLISHING
FROM PUSHING PAPER TO PUSHING LIMITS Jehad Kasu
“Suffering in silence” is a term we hear all to often lately. Which is indicative of the grave extent of the social pressures people feel when inflicted with certain diseases – especially physical and mental health related issues. Badr Bassadien was one such person before he decided to take control of his life. In 2006, fresh from graduating with a degree in Public Administration, Badr started as an intern at the Premier’s Office in the WC Provincial Government. Here Badr spent 11 years as a diligent civil servant, working his way up to Cabinet Services where he was responsible for all in-Cabinet meeting minutes as well as the logistics of most external Cabinet projects.
The Golden Bow
a symbol for breastfeeding protection, promotion and support.
Badr and Nazia Bassadien
PARTNERS:
In the early days of his career though, Badr was grossly overweight and as a result – deeply depressed. And as such his wellness journey is a deeply personal one. A journey that progressed from self-help, to helping others, to creating a wellness movement within a community that traditionally was not wellness oriented. Speaking to Badr, he shared the turning point in his life “ I was overweight at the time and started feeling depressed about the way I looked. About not being able to move, run – I couldn’t even do one push-up. And at that age confidence plays an important role in one’s social interaction with friends – and I had none of it. But one day my clothes didn’t fit anymore and that was the last straw for me”. From that week he started using the work’s gym facilities by himself and became a bit more con-
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