Biography

Andries Botha has known challenges from the onset of his life. With the death of his mother at the age of one and then at seventeen the death of his beloved father and mentor, thus began a series of challenges.

Embarking on a career in the Parabats regiment of the Military, Botha realized his desire was to pursue the Medical field. Botha's ambition has driven him to attain degrees in B.Sc., (with majors in Physiology and Biochemistry), M.B , and Ch. B, further, Botha moved from his home country of South Africa to work for three years in Inuvik, North West Territories, Canada. Presently, Dr. Botha resides in Grimshaw, Alberta. Where, for the past six years, he has served as a General Practitioner with specialized skills in Surgery and Sports Medicine.

Botha's inherent passion of sports is reverently transcended into compassion in aiding others to success. As an advocate of an illegal drug free world, and that of natural physical fitness, Dr. Botha has initiated and raised funds for the purchases of fitness equipment in several communities, As a fitness "guru" and medical doctor he has shared his expertise in advisory positions to enhance training programs in fitness facilities and to further promote health and well‑being. Included in these personal testaments of serving others beyond his Medical practice are as acting Physician for the South African Running Team, Whereby, Botha toured with the team to several World Championships. Presently Botha is the Grimshaw Huskies team doctor.

Botha's forte has always been his ability to diversify his passion of endurance sports into challenging accomplishments. Such feats include the extremes of cycling the span of South Africa in the intense heat, to cycling in one day the 180 Ian from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. in ‑25"C weather. Botha's determination supersedes such obstacles as inclement weather in his unprecedented pursuits to excel in any challenge.

Botha's ambition has driven him to cycle from coast to coast across the United States in 34 days, and across Canada in 28 days. Included in his plethora of accomplishments are competing in over 40 marathons, of which 9 were of a 90 Km distance. In equal amounts of soaring to new heights was Botha's recent climbing of Mt. Kilimayaro.

Botha's compelling and jovial charisma is filled with compassion for his profession, family, travel and children.

Having been faced with the challenge of losing his own parents, Dr. Botha further challenges himself with the equally important and rewarding approach of positive role‑modeling to his children. Botha himself attests he has two "fantastic" children in his 18 year old daughter, Natasha and 10 year old son, Arno,

The welfare of children is of utmost concern to Botha. As such, Dr. Botha has a keen sense of further aiding his field. He has eagerly initiated and readily accepted the challenge to better the institutionalized settings of children's cancer units. Botha's vision and focus is to raise funds to provide heightened awareness, and therefore enable the enhancement of the environment on the children's cancer units. The obvious sterility and emotional coldness of such settings increases the already ill and terrified child's angst.

Botha's emphasis is to raise funds to enhance, enrich, and enable children's cancer units to subscribe to the children's emotional and social welfare while they are undergoing treatment. To further this endeavor, Botha plans on raising funds to provide children's entertainment, recreation equipment, i.e. Toys, televisions, videos, and to investigate and implement positive music and color therapy programs.

Andries Botha has always accepted challenges and soared beyond the extremes, Going beyond the extreme is a proven trait of Andries Botha. However, Dr. Both a has the rare quality of being quietly humble about these marked testaments of accomplishments that have such positive, impacting significance.

His BEYOND EXTREME CHALLENGE consists of climbing the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere Mt. Aconcagua CYCLING over 2 continents, through 13 countries, over 2.5,000 kilometers in 120 days to raise funds to enhance the quality of life for children suffering with cancer. In some places, the road ends and through the rugged terrain there is no trail. This BEYOND EXTREME, CHALLENGE will set a World Book Guinness Record, and moreover, create a restorative emotional environment for children with cancer.