If u land here looking for an update on Jacques-Louis, please go to my facebook profile.? www.facebook.com register, and add me as a friend - Flaps van der Merwe.
Also don’t confuse our situation with Jacques-Louis, with my friend Derick’s situation with his son Jeandre.
I visited Little Jeandre in Paarl/Franschoek this week. What a Blessing! I can’t believe I was holding this child who was so helpless 3 week ago - and seeing the life in his eyes. And the peace. Absolutely awesome. I heard more about his condition - apparently three rare heart defects - of which the doctor had never encountered the three in combination. I will not try and explain more. Apart from the fact that he still has to have 2 bypass operation’s in the year to come. And he is alive!
Well here’s me with him. What a privilege to be on a pic with Jeandre! Ladies stand in the queue. This young man is gonna make your knees weak!
I have a new friend. She wrote this:
> WORLD WITHIN <
by Liesl-Dana van Schalkwyk
There?s a whole other world within
where you dictate your dreams
and mix and match your imagination
your foresight, your fantasy
your so-called success and all it seemsIt?s like a little universe
where you get carried away
and all too soon you rehearse
your life, your love
your delusions of a better dayBut why this little cavern
when it is so lonely and dangerously wild?
where you can hide secret sins
and must fight to keep your expectations mildPerhaps the Creator gave us this space
to show we?re not puppets on a string
that we too have power to create and control
and to willingly submit our minds to Him
This new friend I randomly met in Sandton. With her permission I might post some more of her thoughts. I find this such a beautiful metaphor. A cavern - a cave. Where I can just be. Where I can play out the ‘what-if’s’ safely. Where I can explore, consider. And yes with the added risk of stowing away the secret sin. But isn’t that the essence of freedom and free will. If the possibility of ‘not-loving’ was not an option, would ‘loving’ have any meaning?
I think some of us don’t venture into this cave often enough. And thus don’t get in touch with the essence of our soul.
And others never step out of this cave. And the rest of us plebs view these people to live on another planet.
Challenge is to move in and out.
I love God for the freedom he gave us. Only a real God can have the strength of mind and soul, and the security in himself, to release us into that freedom.
That’s why I desire to submit to HIM.
This kid has inspired me over the last week. 6 weeks old - fighting for his life. His name is Jeandr?. About 2 weeks ago he was diagnosed with a rare case of heart failure - the first doctor said they should take him home and just make his death as comfortable as possible. The second, a Dr Susan Vosloo, said she would cancel her holiday and take the risk of operating and hope for the best. Over the last 2 weeks I have followed his progress, surviving the operation, and fighting for every next day in ICU. Personally I don’t know how Derick and Rouch?, his parents, are making it. But I guess when you have to, you do.
This is a picture of Jeandr? about a week ago, and then follow the link for a video of him yesterday. The link takes you to facebook group that prays for the little one. Just click the video there.
Over the last week I have contemplated the value of life, or maybe more the power of the life force in us. I also believe God values life. And I believe thousands of prayers for this boy have empowered him to battle away to stay alive, even though his parents may at times have lost hope. This boy has had me close to tears more than once this week.
And then I read in the Beeld about a baby that died in a Pretoria state hospital because the nurse was on her way and did not want to miss her taxi. The mother gave birth alone and only 15 minutes after the babies birth did some arrive.
?n 38-jarige vrou van Pretoria se baba is kort n? geboorte in ?n staatshospitaal dood nadat ?n verpleegster haar alleen gelos het omdat sy bang was sy mis haar vervoer huis toe.
Me. Catherine Masingi het gister by haar werkgewer se huis in Silverton vertel die baba se koppie het reeds gekroon, toe die verpleegster glo omstreeks 18:45 die pad vat.
?Sy het ges? sy?s jammer sy kan my nie help nie. Sy moet tjaila, want sy gaan haar bus mis.?
Masingi het Dinsdagaand alleen op ?n bedjie in die Mamelodi-daghospitaal geboorte gegee aan ?n dogtertjie, en glo bykans 15 minute lank om hulp geroep.
? ?n Ander verpleegster het uiteindelik opgedaag en aan haar kollegas ges?: ?O, sy jok nie, die baba het gekom.? ?
Masingi s? die verpleegsters het die baba se hartklop tydens die geboorteproses gemonitor en alles was glo in orde. Sy was nege maande swanger.
?Ek het die oggend by die hospitaal opgedaag. Terwyl ek gekraam het, het ek gehoor hoe roep ?n ander vrou uit die toilet.
?Die verpleegsters het soontoe gehardloop, maar sy het reeds geboorte gegee en haar baba het op die vloer geval.?
Masingi s? n? haar dogtertjie se geboorte het ?n personeellid nie geweet hoe om die naelstring te knip nie. Ander verpleegsters het glo van oorkant die saal aan haar verduidelik hoe.
?Ek het die baba twee keer hoor huil. Sy het ook goed opgegooi. Hulle het haar op ?n skaal gesit en toe het ?n verpleegster vorms ingevul.
?Sy het n? ?n ruk gesien die baba is geel en hulle het die dokter geroep.?
Volgens Masingi het die dokter probeer om haar sterwende baba se lewe te red, maar glo aan personeel ges? hulle het hom te laat geroep. Die baba het vermoedelik mekonium (donkerkleurige ontlasting wat babas binne die eerste dae n? geboorte uitskei) ingekry.
Op Masingi se l?er staan daar glo dat die baba aan natuurlike oorsake dood is, maar haar werkgewer, me. Adri Pienaar, het gister ges? sy het op die sakkie waarin die baba se lykie by die lykhuis geberg word, ?n nota gesien met die woorde ?birth asphyxia?. ?n Suurstoftekort, en een van die grootste voorkombare oorsake van babasterftes in staatshospitale.
I think how one doctor cancels her holiday to perhaps save a baby’s life and how another baby dies because a woman doesn’t want to miss her taxi. It’s all so sad. And then Derick writes this about a week ago:
Thursday 31/7/08 17h45: Still outside SICU. They are busy sowing up the skin over his heart. I met a Muslim couple in the waiting room. There 18mnth old boy, Mas-ood, had his heart attacked by a virus. They can’t do anything for him. Just wait and hope that he pulls through. A heart transplant might be an option. Their daughter, Amrah 3mnths, died last month of broncho pneumonia. Please pray that our Father in heaven also do a miracle for them!
Isn’t that insane?
I don’t really know what my point of this blog is. Perhaps just creating an awareness. A respect for life. A realization of the life force in us (given by Christ I believe). An awareness of others’ pain irrespective of religion. How often do we fight for life like this little boy is fighting?
I think of some of the things we allow in our lives. I think of the things in this world that kill or steal our life-force. And we allow it.
Any comments?