Financial peace of mind comforts Zak's family

"What are the chances of something bad happening to me?"

Zak, a loving husband and the father of two teenagers, had always taken his role as the provider and protector of his household very seriously. He was dedicated to his job as the project manager at a construction company. Zak also managed secondary businesses. He was always willing to go the extra mile to earn a living because of his unconditional love for his family. They all experienced immense emotional stress when Zak was involved in an accident that changed their lives forever.

"What are the chances of something bad happening to me?" is a common thought for many people considering the future and getting the right financial cover.

This is what Zak Prinsloo thought when he was considering cancelling his disability cover. It happened to be just a year before his life-changing motorcycle accident. Although he didn't know it at the time, listening to his financial adviser's great advice to keep this cover in place was one of the most important decisions he could have made.

"Lucky to be alive"

"On the 3rd of October 2021, I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident and got injured badly. While being rushed to hospital, I flatlined three times. I am lucky to be alive today," Zak told Discovery Life before he passed away on 7 April 2024.

Although Zak's life was spared during the accident, he suffered some devastating, long-term injuries that changed his physical capabilities and how he went about his everyday life.

"My accident impacted my family and me quite severely. I was a very busy man before, but now I can't physically perform my job anymore, so I lost that income. This was a concern as my family depends on me."

It was very difficult for Zak to return to any kind of work.

"I lost the complete use of my dominant arm. I also suffered a brain bleed and had several surgeries. I still struggle with continuous double vision because of my head injury," said Zak. "This is a daily challenge because I can't see properly, so I can't drive," he added.

"It's also easy for me to lose my balance. When my vision gets really bad, I have to close one eye to do basic things like send a text from my phone. But I am finding new ways to manage things better and my brain is catching up."

Zak also suffered from continuous neuropathic (nerve) pain in his injured arm. This made it very difficult for him to return to any kind of work. He went through really bad pain episodes, irrespective of what he did. These were more severe during winter and the late afternoons. Even though he had been through two surgeries to reconstruct the nerves in his arm, he experienced no results and was told by his neurologist that his pain would be chronic going forward.

This was the biggest challenge he wrestled with in the last year of his life. He was on a strenuous course of chronic medicine, which worked at the time. But even that did not take the pain away completely. "Without the medication, I experience excruciating pain, and this poses a big fight mentally for me."

Zak had physiotherapy every two weeks. This was frustrating at times, but he desperately wanted his arm to respond and he tried really hard to get it to work. But his nerves had been stretched and he was still paralysed from his shoulder right through to his hand. Still, he was hopeful that with treatment, he would one day be able to get things going.

Zak could still cover his monthly expenses without having to make any drastic changes.

Zak's accident impacted him and his family quite severely. "My wife was traumatised. I was a very active person [before the accident]. I was the main breadwinner in my household, which is why my wife was extremely fearful - at first. She was worried about how we were going to cope financially," recalled Zak when he spoke to Discovery Life.

But thankfully, Zak had Discovery Life's Capital Disability Benefit in place at the time of the accident.

This benefit's lump-sum payout helped ease Zak's financial stress as his family could still depend on him. He qualified for a 100% payout of his insured amount because the disability stopped him from working.

"Having the Capital Disability Benefit helped me get through these difficult circumstances. In my opinion, this is one of the most important benefits to have on your life cover. It has at least given me peace of mind to know that I am financially secure going forward. I can still cover my monthly expenses without having to make any drastic changes.

"I would advise any person out there - fathers especially - who are thinking about taking out this benefit to do so. It's a no-brainer. This type of cover has to be there. At least you will have the peace of mind knowing your children are taken care of if something happens to you," said Zak.

Zak was also fortunate enough to have taken out the Global Education Protector so his kids' education will be covered right up until they finish university. His Income Continuation Benefit also helped cover his monthly costs.

Why Discovery Life?

Zak said he chose Discovery Life because he believed that clients pay for the best to get the best. "Many people don't use the latter part of this (cover) through disability, and that's a good thing. But if you ever need to claim, just like I did, you can be sure you will have the best. It was absolutely worth having this insurance. Discovery Life [employees] are so professional. They changed my life.

"Luckily, I also have a very efficient and knowledgeable financial adviser. Hilton [Hausberger] managed the whole admin process for me. The team was very helpful and did all the follow-ups needed. Everything was totally taken care of by them."

Zak's family supported him emotionally through all the difficult times

Zak's wife was his greatest support through it all. She visited him every day during his time in hospital, and so did his mother and sister whenever they had the chance. Zak was also blessed enough to be working at a family business when the accident took place, which made this process a lot easier.

While it was a process getting used to his new lifestyle, financially, Zak and his family were at ease and had no stress about their finances, even after his passing.

Hausberger had also advised Zak to add the non-accelerated Severe Illness and Capital Disability benefits, and under these non-accelerated benefits, a claim payout would not reduce the value of the Life Fund. Because of this, when Zak passed away in April 2024, his spouse received another substantial payment.

"We were fortunate that Zak accepted our advice. He was open to learning from my experience and insights from other clients who have benefited from the contractual benefits offered by Discovery, which is 'best of breed'. The association with Discovery has been profound," says Hilton Hausberger from Hausberger Financial Services.