‘I DON'T WANT MY FAMILY TO FORGET ME
YOU South Africa|11 November 2021
Carli van Aswegen is facing a death sentence as she battles brain cancer – but she’s determined to be strong for her loved ones
JANA VAN DER MERWE
‘I DON'T WANT MY FAMILY TO FORGET ME

FIT weren’t for photographs, it would be hard to believe the woman lying in the bed is the same girl who danced on stage, beamed radiantly on her wedding day and joyfully cuddled her baby boy.

At just 26 years old, Carli van Aswegen is unrecognisable as the young woman she once was – full of energy with her whole life stretching ahead of her.

She has accepted that her days on Earth are numbered after receiving a devastating diagnosis just over a year ago. She has cancer of the brainstem and in December doctors told her there was little more that they could do for her.

“I’m not exactly afraid of dying but I do feel a little scared,” Carli says, her eyes welling with tears. “I’m afraid that heaven won’t look the way I imagined it.”

She wipes her tears with a hand swollen by medication. The young mom is being cared for by her husband, Daniel (27), who’s keeping a constant vigil at her bedside in the garden cottage of his parents’ home in Bloemfontein.

Little Micah, their three-year-old son, is at daycare but Carli’s mom, Hester Potgieter, and her mom-in-law, Lulu van Aswegen, are here, slipping in and out of the room to check in on her.

Carli had her makeup done especially for YOU’s photoshoot. She’s had false lashes attached and there are blonde highlights in her hair. But, as a result of cortisone to counteract the side-effects of radiation, there’s no sign of the willowy, healthy young woman who smiles from the pictures Lulu shows us.

“I miss being healthy, being able to pick up my son, to exercise, to play,” Carli says.

Esta historia es de la edición 11 November 2021 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición 11 November 2021 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE YOU SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
YOU South Africa

HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST

With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 December 2024
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
YOU South Africa

SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES

John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 December 2024
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
YOU South Africa

SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG

A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 December 2024
LIAM LAID TO REST
YOU South Africa

LIAM LAID TO REST

More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024
SHILOH HANGS OUT
YOU South Africa

SHILOH HANGS OUT

THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024
LEO IN LOVE
YOU South Africa

LEO IN LOVE

He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down

time-read
3 minutos  |
5 December 2024
PACKING A PUNCH
YOU South Africa

PACKING A PUNCH

Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 December 2024
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
YOU South Africa

I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD

As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 December 2024
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
YOU South Africa

'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'

A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 December 2024
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
YOU South Africa

THE CLAWS ARE OUT!

Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William

time-read
7 minutos  |
5 December 2024