Dying is a lonely journey. Not only for the sick person but also for the family. As hard as we may try to avoid death, the truth is that we do a lousy job of it. Science and medicine will certainly postpone it, even staying healthy might seem to delay it, but the harsh reality is that death does not wait for you, it does not ask you, and it does not listen to you. Death ignores your feelings and wants; you do not matter to death…Death is the only certainty in life! We need to remember that our existence here is fragile, and we never have as much time with people as we think we do. If there is someone or someones out there that you love, don’t neglect that and don’t put off engaging with them because waits for no-one… Vic's Journey ended on 18 January 2013 at 10:35. She was the most courageous person in the world and has inspired thousands of people all over the world. Vic's two boys are monuments of her existence. She was an amazing mother, daughter, sister and friend. I will miss you today, tomorrow and forever my Angle Child.
On our way to Hospice Jon-Daniel sat with his arms crossed muttering “I don’t need to see anyone” under his breath. “I am like you Oumie. We don’t talk…”
“Yeah” I said. “But I really think the time has come for us to talk to someone. Besides it is part of the Hospice thing. We have to do it!”
“The whole day I was thinking of shrink jokes” Jared said. “Do you think I can ask him ‘how does this make you feel?‘”
We all laughed.
“Guys if we don’t talk to the counselor we may have to come back…. Let’s answer all the questions and get it over and done with….” I cautioned
Alan is a short young man. I think he is in his early thirty’s. We shook hands and he asked us how we wanted to “do it?”
The boys went in on their own. I sat in the waiting room saying a little prayer that they would open up to this professional stranger who is an expert in dealing with death. Thirty minutes later I was invited in.
“The boys tell me they are coping well. They don’t see the reason for seeing me…..What do you think? Are you guys coping?”
I was truly taken aback. “Yes, I think we are coping. ”
“So Tersia, why do you think the boys need to see me?”
I did not speak for a couple of minutes. I was grappling with my brain as to how much I should tell this stranger.
“I think the emotional roller coaster is getting to us. We have said our goodbyes so many times and Vic always bounces back!” I eventually said.
“Yes, Jon-Daniel said so” Alan replied.
“I worry that the boys live in a home where death lingers. There is not enough laughter in our home. It saddens me when they stand next to their Mom’s bed and I see the helplessness in their eyes!” I mused
“I get impatient with Vic. When she has half a breath she will organize a party. When the pain medication works she will not pace herself. She will hurt herself and then I have to pick up the pieces. Sometimes I am scared that her suffering will not end. ” I continued.
“What type of party will she organize?” Alan asked.
The boys and I laughed!
“It is only a figure of speech….” we explained. “She will try and do things with the boys and hurt herself.”
“What type of things?” Alan asked
“Drive and take us for a milkshake” Jared replied.
“Mom forgets things and she thinks we are all against her… Yesterday she said to me that I must not feel guilty if she dies and I am cross with her…Mom always thinks we are fighting with her….” Jon-Daniel said.
“It is not about the final moments. It is not the final words or even the final disagreement. It is about the life and all the years of loving before death and dying…. You must not ever blame yourself for anything. Life is hard for all of you right now. It is okay to be scared and to get irritated. You must tell your Mom how you feel. I am not saying you must back-chat. What I am saying is that you must tell your Mom how her actions and illness makes you feel. The household consists of more than one person…. You all have the right to living…”
The boys asked to see Alan for another session…. Thank you God for another angel!
“You matter because of who you are. You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can , not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.” –Dame Cicely Saunders
The Hospice doctor that called to see and evaluate Vic was a tall, slim young woman. She has a gentle voice and long fingers with short nails. She drives a Jeep and keeps large dogs. She looks like a naturalist.
“I am Dr Sue Walters from Hospice. The Pain Clinic asked us to see you. Is it okay for me to examine you?” she asked Vic in her gentle voice.
Vic’s abdomen was severely distended and very tender. She was running a fever and her resting heart rate of 103 indicating severe pain despite the fact that she had already taken her pain medication. Vicky’s vitals were poor.
Sue administered a strong morphine injection.
“Vicky, you appear to have an abscess on the right-hand side of your abdomen. The skin is hot to the touch and distended. I think you have a partial obstruction.” Dr Sue said to Vic.
“I am here to see if Hospice can help you. Do you realize that you are very ill my love?” Dr Sue asked Vic.
“Hospice will not hasten your death my love. It would be our aim and purpose to provide you with pain relief and quality of life. We will treat you and not the disease. It is exclusively your decision whether you want us to help you and how you want us to help you.” She explained to Vic
Hospice is a philosophy of care. The hospice philosophy or viewpoint accepts death as the final stage of life. The goal of hospice is to help patients live their last days as alert and pain-free as possible. Hospice care tries to manage symptoms so that a person’s last days may be spent with dignity and quality, surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice affirms life and neither hastens nor postpones death. Hospice care treats the person rather than the disease; it focuses on quality rather than length of life. Hospice care is family-centered — it includes the patient and the family in making decisions. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/FindingandPayingforTreatment/ChoosingYourTreatmentTeam/HospiceCare/hospice-care-what-is-hospice-care
Vic was in so much pain that she was barely able to speak. Tears welled up in her eyes and she softly said “Please doctor”.
“My love, you need to tell us how you want us to treat your symptoms such as obstructions?” Dr Sue asked
“I want no life extending treatment. I am so tired doctor” Vic whispered. “I can’t do this anymore…..”
“That’s fine my love. We will try and relieve your pain and give you some quality of life.”
“Mommy I thought I had more time…” Vic said with tears silently running down her cheeks…… Then the injection kicked in and she drifted off to sleep.
Dr Sue said that the responsible sister would collect the morphine from the Hospice pharmacy and she would set up a subcutaneous morphine syringe system by that afternoon. Hospice would arrange for counseling for the boys.
She hugged me and left. All of a sudden I felt so alone again!
Subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, injections use a needle to deliver medications into tissue just under the skin. An infusion of morphine, anti-nausea medication and Dormicum is now administered 24/7.
The first couple of days Vic slept a lot. She was tired but there was immediate pain relief.
The nausea subsided and the partial obstruction cleared two days later!
The first infusion site was in her leg. Within a day and a half the area “tissued”. A common side effect associated with subcutaneous injections is injection-site reaction such as swelling, redness, and pain. We phoned Hospice and the Nurse promptly came and the needle was reinserted into the arm. Within two hours the needle came out again and the morphine was running onto the skin. It was too late for the Hospice Nurse to return and to re-insert the needle so Vic went to the doctor and he relocated the needle into the abdominal area.
Last night the tissue in the abdominal area had tissued again. It was also bloody and the morphine was running onto the skin and not into the tissue. Vic was nauseous with pain. I had no option but to remove the needle and re-inserting it into a different site.
“I think we should put it into the other side of your tummy” I said
“Mommy, I will insert the needle if you help me…” Vic replied
“No sweetie” I said. “I will do it”
My heart was in my throat. I removed the needle and cleaned the injection site. I disinfected the new site that I had identified. I took the needle in my hand and lifted the skin. I pushed the needle against the skin. I assumed that the needle would just slide in… It did not just slide in! There was resistance!! I let go of the skin and changed my position. I could hear and feel my heart pounding in my ears! I again took my child’s skin between my fingers and pulled it upward.
“Maybe I should relax my hold onto the skin…maybe the skin must more relaxed?…..” I thought.
I exerted pressure on the needle and it slid in… Sweet success!!!!
“Oh Mommy you are such a star! Thank you. That did not hurt at all!” Vic gushed.
I do not believe her. I had felt her little body tense up as the needle went in. It hurt!
My entire body shook. The bile rose in my throat and I slowly let out my breath.
We have all come such a far way. Until last night I could not watch anyone stick a needle into my child. Now I have stuck a needle into my child’s flesh. I fear that Vicky’s tissue is too poor for us to continue on the subcutaneous route…… If we do I will have to do this many more times in my life.
The good news is that I was actually able to work the whole week. It was the annual African Air and Defense Show and we exhibited. Normally I would be absolutely frantic about Vic. But I was okay with the fact that she is relatively pain free and the nursing sister visits every two days.
Vic is far more active. She is truly so much better. The partial obstruction appears to have cleared! She spends time chatting to the boys. On Saturday she took Jared shopping for a new shirt and shoes!
On Sunday morning Jared lit candles “For those we have loved and lost but will forever be in our memories♥..Gramps, Oupa Tienie, Ouma, Nan and Oupes♡” Vic handed him his baptism candle that she received 15.5 years ago at his christening. He lit his candle as he took responsibility for his own walk with God. Vic and I laid hands on him and prayed for him. It was so touching.
Joyous day!
Vic attended Jared’s confirmation service. I have never seen a more radiant and proud mother in my entire life.
As a mother of a terminally ill child, who suffers debilitating chronic pain, I have researched pain extensively. I have argued with physicians and meet with pain specialists at the pain clinic every month. I have bullied hospital nursing staff. I have witnessed and lived my child screaming like a wounded animal from pain….. Doctors telling her that she is a morphine addict and pharmacists double-checking and verifying Vic’s scripts…
Jared and Jon-Daniel taking Vic for a walk during one of her hospital visits 28.8.2011
It is Monday the 3rd of September 2012. Vic had a horrible night and looked absolutely terrible this morning. Jared’s kidney hurt like hell and I got an appointment for him to see the urologist at 13:00.Vic wanted to go with but Jared held her little body in his arms and said: “Mommy please stay in bed. Oumie will take me to the doctor. I promise I will phone you if I am scared or need you.” Vic sobbed uncontrollably.“Please Mommy, you are just going to be more sore and sick if you go with now…”Jared and Jon-Daniel are strong and terribly protective of their Mommy. It stresses and scares them when Vic tries to do too much. The boys are continually stressing that Vic, in her endeavours to mother, overdoes things and then pays the price. They feel guilty…they assume responsibility for Vicky’s actions.“Mom picked me up from school and is now very tired….”” Mom came to watch me play cricket and is now sick in bed for a week again…”” Mom broke another vertebra taking me to school…. “Whilst friends and family “ooh and aahh” about how mature and responsible the boys are, their lives are lonely lives. They are missing out on their own childhood experiences. Most of the children in Jared’s class are having “Sweet Sixteen” parties. Jared is invited but chooses to stay home. He says it is because the kids smoke and drink… But I know he does not want to leave his mother.Until earlier this year, when Vic spoke to the boys, there were whispered secrets, secret tears when we thought they were not looking and false bravado when they were looking. You see, although we know death is inevitable, the timing is uncertain. It is like running a marathon without knowing any details about the timing or the course. The boys also experience guilt because they too pray that Vic’s suffering will end.Yet Vic struggles with dying. It is impossibly painful to leave her sons. To let go….. To allow them to be grand-mothered….So, today I again, experienced the unbelievable selflessness of a parentified child when Jared said “Please Mommy, you are just going to be more sore and sick if you go with now…” https://tersiaburger.com/2012/06/30/a-mothers-love-for-her-sons/Tomorrow morning Jared will return to the operating theatre for the 3rd time since the 27th of June 2012. The sonars show at least two more kidney stones. Obviously last week’s lithotripsy, or shock wave therapy (EWSL), (to break the stone up into smaller fragments to allow those small pieces to pass more easily into the bladder), was not the solution. The urologist will perform ureteroscopy. Instruments are threaded into the ureter that will allow the urologist to place a stent (a thin hollow tube) through the urethra, past the bladder, and into the ureter to bypass the obstructing stone. This stent will be left for two weeks when Jared will once again go back to theater and the urologist will use instruments to “grab the stone” and remove it.Tomorrow morning Jon-Daniel will go to school – fearful for both his mother and brother. He will bravely write a maths test and excel at it. Success and high marks are his coping mechanism. How unfair is life.
Vic and all the men in her life admiring her PC tablet
Friday morning the boys woke Vic with breakfast and coffee. They sang “Happy Birthday” and gave her beautiful gold earrings that they had chosen and paid for themselves.
Vic went to breakfast with Leeann at 08:00 and set off for the Beauty Parlour with Esther at 10:00. She was home with beautiful nails at 11:30. Poor little poppet! She was so exhausted. She got into bed and slept for the rest of the day.
We woke her at 18:00 to get ready for dinner. She was in too much pain. She sobbed.
The boys spoke to her and told her “We will have takeaways and have dinner in your room Mom…like we did on Mother’s Day. It will be fun!” Vic had spare ribs and the boys and I had wonderful hamburgers! Danie is so health conscious he had the fish! It was a lovely evening. We were sprawled all over her bed, laughing and joking. I sat there and my heart filled with joy. My beautiful little girl, her sons and my wonderful husband once again celebrating her birthday.
When Danie and I gave her a Tablet Vic was over the moon. She loves gadgets and has wanted a PC Tablet for a long time. Vic said “Mommy I can’t believe I got a Tablet that I don’t have to drink!” We laughed until our tummy’s hurt.
Vic and I
We had arranged a barbeque for Saturday afternoon to celebrate not only Vic’s birthday but also Tom (son-in-law married to Lani) who has a birthday on Tuesday – 4.9.2012, Henk (grandson – birthday 2.9.2012)and Francois (Tom and Lani’s friend – birthday Monday 3.9.2012). We hoped that Vic would have recovered enough to be able to enjoy the afternoon. She rested until 14:00 and got dressed just in time to meet the first guests. We planned to sit under the trees but the weather turned. A cold wind blew and we moved the party to the house.
Lani’s magical tables!
Children were running around and laughing. Lani had prepared party packs for the kids and they had a ball! The table settings were beautiful. Lani is a magician! Clusters of people were standing around chatting and laughing. For a short while our household would appear to the world as a perfectly happy and normal household.
Vic looked so beautiful. To the untrained eye she looked just like a normal, healthy young woman. That is until she moved…she shuffles like an old lady! She insisted on having photos taken with everyone as they arrived!
By 19:00 Vic was exhausted! She conceded defeat and changed into her pyjamas on and slippers. She came back to the table and tried so hard to hang-in. Poor little poppet! She cried from pain
Vic had a very bad night. “What else can I take for pain Mommy?” became a refrain!
Last night Jared developed kidney pains again. He said it was the same as last weekend’s kidney stone pains but worse. This morning we decided to take him to the casualty department (ER). Vic very bravely got dressed. It was however very clear that she would not be able to go with. She was just in too much pain. She was heartbroken and sobs racked her little body. “I am letting my son down….”
Jared had lots of pain meds and tomorrow morning we will see his urologist.
Our household is back to normal. The laughter has subsided…..
It was a happy birthday………
Henk Birthday Boy 2.9.2012Francois 3.9.2012 with Lani and Tom 4.9.2012 in the background
Danie and I with a happy and carefree Vic at Mabalingwe!
Vic and the boys before she had her blotched back operation
I often read about a child that had been ill for a long time and the parent being in denial. Death is never discussed. I know it may take months or even years for Vic to die. Maybe, with a bit of luck, I will die before she does. But when either one of us dies there will be nothing unspoken. Vic and I talk a lot. We talk about many things. If ever I think of something that I am not certain of, I ask her immediately.
I have fully accepted that Vicky is always walking the tightrope even when she is doing great. It is the nature of the beast and the beast can take you by surprise.
We have spoken about heaven and what a peaceful, healthy place it will be. We often speak about meeting again in heaven and Vic always says she is not scared of dying. Vicky feels terrible about leaving us behind. She worries about leaving us all behind. She worries about how sad we will be. I wish I knew what to say to truly put her mind at peace and to let her “let go”…
It was very difficult to first raise the question of death. It started approximately 8 years ago with a tentative “Sweetie, is all your paperwork in order before you have this surgery?” and progressed to discussing and shopping for 18th birthday gifts, Confirmation bibles and 21st Birthday Keys. It was strangely “pleasant” going shopping with Vic. I knew that her mind was at ease having done the shopping. Maybe she will be around for these milestone events. Maybe not….. But Vic is prepared. She is far more prepared than I am. She has written letters to be read after her death. She has “special events” cards that I will give the boys when the occasion or need arises.
To arrive at the point, where we are, has been hell! No matter what age your child is, when you first find out that your child is terminally ill, your initial instinct is to shelter the child. (Regardless of the child’s age – the child will always remain the child!!) The parent’s first instinct is to leave no stone unturned. You watch the child like a hawk, looking for small signs of improvement or deterioration, looking for symptoms, hoping against all hope that the doctor made a mistake!
I analyze every ache and pain, hoping that the stomach cramps are merely side effects of the medication. I know when Vic is heading for a UTI; I know how her body reacts to different medications. Unfortunately there is no “Dummy’s Guide for the Parents of a Terminally ill Child”.
Professional counselling is available at a terrible cost. By the time your child is diagnosed or rather sentenced to terminal illness, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of rands has been spent on medical bills. Within two months of the new medical year the medical aid is exhausted….. The medication and treatment cannot stop regardless of the claimable amount left on the medical aid limits… I have said it before – morphine or counselling???? No contest! Morphine wins hands down. Now in a civilized world Hospice should enter the picture at this stage….. Unfortunately we live in South Africa and Vic does not have AIDS or cancer. I pray that she will find the peace that I know she does not have.
No-one in the world can live in so much pain for so long!
Different strokes for different folk… What pain medication works for one type of pain does not work for a different type of pain. Simple example: – Morphine does not relieve toothache or headaches….. It relieves bone pain.
Medicines can often help control chronic pain. Many different drugs, both prescription and non-prescription, are used to treat chronic pain. All these medicines can cause side effects and should be taken exactly as they are prescribed. In some cases, it may take several weeks before medicines work to reduce pain. To avoid dangerous drug interactions, tell your doctor all the medicines you are taking (including herbal and other complementary medicines).
Medication Choices
You will likely be given medicines that cause the fewest side effects first (such as acetaminophen) to treat chronic pain. The dose will be increased or the medicines will be changed as needed. Medicines used to treat chronic pain include the following:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin,ibuprofen (Advil, for example), ketoprofen, and naproxen (Aleve, for example). Always take NSAIDs exactly as prescribed or according to the label. Do not take a non-prescription NSAID for longer than 10 days without talking to your doctor.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone. Sometimes, steroids are injected around the base of the spine to relieve low back pain (epidural steroid injections).
Pain relievers that are applied directly to the skin (topical analgesics), such as EMLA cream or a lidocaine patch (Lidoderm).
Capsaicin, a naturally occurring substance that is found in chili peppers and is used to make certain topical analgesic creams.
Cooling spray. This involves using a cooling spray (such as Biofreeze) directly on the skin. This may be repeated several times.
Creams or gels containing medicines or combinations of medicines. The cream or gel is rubbed directly on the painful area. Some of these creams or gels can be made at the pharmacy according to your doctor’s directions.
Other therapies that may be used to treat chronic pain include:
Nerve block injections. An anesthetic is injected into the affected nerve to relieve pain. The anesthetic may relieve pain for several days, but the pain often returns. Although nerve blocks do not normally cure chronic pain, they may allow you to begin physical therapy and improve your range of motion.
Epidural steroid injections (injecting steroids around the spine). Although these injections have been used for many years and may provide relief for low back or neck pain caused by disc disease or pinched nerves, they may not work for everyone.
Vic’s pain medication as at 4.8.2012 (Transcribed from medication received from Pain Clinic
TABLET
NO OF TABLETS
PER DAY
TRAMADOL 50MG
4
3 TIMES PER DAY
AUSTRELL PARACETAMOL 500MG
2
3 TIMES PER DAY
STILPAYNE
2
3 TIMES PER DAY
CYMBALTA 60
2
1 TIMES PER DAY
NEURONTIN 100MG
6
3 TIMES PER DAY
SRM RHOTARD 400MG (MORPHINE)
2 TIMES PER DAY
ELTROXIN .1MG
1
IN MORNING
BACTRIM
1
3 X PER DAY
LOSEC 20MG
1
IN MORNING
STEMITIL 5MG
1
2 TIMES PER DAY
MORPHINE SYRUP
25MG/5ML
AS NEEDED
JURNISTA 4MG
1
1 TIMES PER DAY
PANAFORTE
1
2 TIMES PER DAY
DEGRONOL
2
2 TIMES PER DAY
This is scary. The amount of opioids Vic takes would certainly kill most people. Is Vic an addict? Certainly not!!
Opioids work by mimicking the body’s natural painkillers known as endorphins. They control pain by blocking pain messages to the brain. Because morphine is an opioid, some people worry about becoming addicted. When you take an opioid to control pain, it is unlikely that you will become addicted. The body uses the drug to control pain, not to give you a ‘high’ http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/cancer-drugs/morphine
I read a heart rendering account of chronic pain and the fear of being treated as an addict written by Tracy Rydzy, a Licensed Social Worker. http://ohwhatapain.wordpress.com/being-treated-like-an-addict/ Tracy writes a heart rendering blog on chronic pain and prejudge that she faces every day. Tracy writes: “I may be on medication, but I am intelligent and I know what is going on. Please understand that I didn’t choose this for myself. I don’t want these damn pills, but I have no other choice right now as I have exhausted my other options for pain relief. Don’t hold my condition against me. I understand the pen is mightier than the sword, so I can’t even ask to change dosages, I can’t request anything different, I certainly can’t be rude in any way (regardless of how you treat me) and I can’t question you because you hold my ability to move and get out of bed in your little prescription pad.”
We are so fortunate that we have access to The Pain Clinic run by very sympathetic professionals. We do not have a problem getting a prescription for the medication. Our problem lies in the fact that from time to time the pharmacy of the Helen Joseph Clinic runs out of Morphine both in tablet or syrup form. Sometimes we are able to get a private script from the Pain Clinic and other times I have to go back the next day, sit in a queue again, get the script and then get it filled privately. Try and get 4.2 litres of morphine syrup from a pharmacy…. Sometimes I am busy and then find it easier to pay a doctor for an appointment to get a script. We may get a script for 1 litre….
Fortunately Vic’s eldest sister is a pharmacist and we are known to the staff at that particular pharmacy. The times we have tried to use other pharmacies (because they do not have morphine in stock) we are treated with suspicion.
“Many people confuse physical dependence, which is the occurrence of withdrawal when the drug is stopped, with addiction. Withdrawal is a physical phenomenon that means that the body has adapted to the drug in such a way that a “rebound” occurs when the drug is suddenly stopped. The kind of symptoms that occur include rapid pulse, sweating, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, runny nose, “gooseflesh,” and anxiety. All people who take opioids for a period of time can potentially have this withdrawal syndrome if the drug is stopped or the dose is suddenly lowered. This is not a problem as long as it is prevented by avoiding sudden reductions in the dose.
Physical dependence is entirely different from addiction. Addiction is defined by a loss of control over the drug, compulsive use of the drug, and continued use of the drug even if it is harming the person or others. People who become addicted often deny that they have a problem, even as they desperately try to maintain the supply of the drug.
Addiction is a “bio psychosocial” disease. This means that most people who become addicted to drugs are probably predisposed (it is in the genes) but only develop the problem if they have access to the drug and take it at a time and in a way that leaves them vulnerable. A very large experience in the treatment of patients with chronic pain indicates that the risk of addiction among people with no prior history of substance abuse who are given an opioid for pain is very low. The history of substance abuse doesn’t mean that a patient should never get an opioid for pain, but does suggest that the doctor must be very cautious when prescribing and monitoring this therapy.
People with chronic pain should understand the difference between physical dependence and addiction. Unreasonable fears about addiction should not be the reason that doctors refuse this therapy or patients refuse to take it.
Tolerance to opioid drugs occurs but is seldom a clinical problem. Tolerance means that taking the drug changes the body in such a way that the drug loses its effect over time. If the effect that is lost is a side effect, like sleepiness, tolerance is a good thing. If the effect is pain relief, tolerance is a problem. Fortunately, a very large experience indicates that most patients can reach a favorable balance between pain relief and side effects then stabilize at this dose for a long period of time. If doses need to be increased because pain returns, it is more commonly due to worsening of the painful disease than it is to tolerance. “
Vic is “embarrassed” the amount of medication she needs to take to control her pain. She is oversensitive to the point of being paranoid about being called an addict.
Is my child an addict? Hell no!! Does it worry me that she needs increasing amounts of medication to handle the pain associated with the deterioration of her little body? Hell no!! Whatever it takes for one pain-free moment in her little life! Tracy to you and all the other chronic pain sufferers out there – I wish you all a sympathetic doctor, nurse and pharmacist!
My tiny, petite little mom was born on the 3rd of August. She died on the 3rd of June 1997 from septic shock. My earliest memories of my mother are that she was a career girl. My Mom worked before it was fashionable for women to work. She loved having a career. I remember how proud of her I was as a little girl. My Mom was the “Bookkeeper” at a large German company. I used to love walking to her office after school.
My Mom had the tiniest little feet. She wore a size 3 shoe. But boy, could she put that tiny little foot down!
My Dad was fiercely protective of his wife. They were absolutely united against us kids. When Jared was a couple of weeks old we went to Bloemfontein to show him to my folks. My Mom played in a Bowls competition that Saturday afternoon. When Mom got home she was on such a high. Her team had won and she had a brilliant game. Mom sat on Dad’s lap; their faces were close together when she told him about the game. At one stage she threw her head back and they laughed….. Deeply in love, committed to one another, united in their love.
Mom died 3 months later….. Dad was absolutely devastated!
Today it is my Mom’s birthday. I wish that I could sit and have a cup of tea with her and just chat. I wish I could apologize for thinking it was absolute rubbish that she could not pluck her own eyebrows because she could not see that close….. That she had started losing her hearing in her late 50’s…
Muslims have a saying “Paradise lies at your mother’s feet”. At the feet of my mother I learnt all the values that I hold dear in my life. I wish I could thank her for the example that she set for us children. I wish I could thank her for teaching us the value of family, loyalty and unconditional love. I wish I could thank her for being this absolutely amazing grandmother to Vic. I wish I could thank her for supporting me through all my mistakes, troubled times, heartaches and joys.
I know that Mom held onto life until we as a family, one last time, confirmed her love of us to her….. We were standing around her deathbed and her time was so close! Yet she would not let go. Johan, my baby brother, said to her”Mamma, it is okay to go. You know we all love you. We know you love Daddy, Tes, Lollo and me….” Within seconds her battle against septicemia ended….
My Mom was such a brave warrior. She suffered ill health the last 20 years of her life. Mom had this amazing ability to bounce back after surgery. She too suffered chronic back pain. She adored Vic. Vic spent so much time with my parents. She was the beginning and the end of my mom’s life. I truly believe that Vic got her fighting spirit from my Mom. I often look at Vic and see my Mom. Some many of the little things that my Mom did Vic does….. Where blood does not run it gushes!
My Mom was very close to her Mother. We were very close to my gran. Mom was absolutely heartbroken when my Gran died. I think she never truly came to terms with her mother’s death. It took me 5 years before I could speak of my mom without crying. We have a family legacy of close mother and daughter relationships…
A Mother’s Love – Author unknown
A Mother’s love is something that no one can explain, It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain, It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may For nothing can destroy it or take that love away . . . It is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking, And it never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking . . . It believes beyond believing when the world around condemns, And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest gems . . . It is far beyond defining, it defies all explanation, And it still remains a secret like the mysteries of creation . . . A many splendored miracle man cannot understand And another wondrous evidence of God’s tender guiding hand.
. Happy birthday my dearest Mommy. I love and miss you! I know when Vic’s time comes; you will be one of her angels guiding her Home!
Vic's Final Journey 