Still Standing

Still Standing: From Collapse to Clarity is a raw, powerful and deeply human memoir about survival, resilience and redefining what is possible.

As a young boy growing up in Johannesburg in the 1980s, life was fast, fearless and full of promise - until a single gunshot changed everything. The bullet travelled through Ryan's brain and into his heart. Doctors said he would never walk again. Never ride a bike. Never live independently.

They were wrong.

In this unflinching account, Ryan shares his journey from coma to courage - relearning how to stand, walk and rebuild his identity while living with paralysis, brain injury, chronic pain and PTSD. But this is not just a story of physical recovery. It is about the invisible battles: the mental toll of traumatic brain injury, the isolation of disability, the strain on relationships, and the relentless fight to find purpose in a world not designed for difference.

Through broken bones, spinal surgeries, social rejection, corporate setbacks and daily pain that morphine cannot silence, Ryan refuses to surrender. With fierce determination, humour, and the unwavering support of his mother and wife, he rebuilds his life inch by inch.