The Baby She Can't Remember

An accident put her into a coma and killed her daughter – now Shanei doesn’t recall even having had a child

- Marizka Coetzer

WHENEVER he visits her she seems in good spirits, chatting and laughing despite serious injuries that have left her unable to walk.

Renier Stols knows he should be relieved his ex-girlfriend is out of her coma but every time he catches a glimpse of the tattoo on her right shoulder blade his heart sinks.

Etched into Shanei Norris’ skin in bold ink is “Reanei”, the name of their daughter who was born 16 months ago.

But Shanei (22) has no recollection of the horrific car crash she and her child were involved in on 23 March – and no idea Renier (28) spent hours waiting alone beside the baby’s lifeless body.

By the time he arrived at the accident scene between Drie Riviere and Vereeniging in Gauteng that Friday morning, paramedics had already freed Shanei from the wreck and taken her to Sebokeng Hospital.

His baby daughter’s body was on the back seat, covered in a blanket. “Her body was still warm,” Renier says, tears welling up as he chats to us at the hospital.

Annelie Hunter Smith – who’s like a mom to Shanei, whose parents have both passed away – is also taking strain. Like everyone else she was relieved when, after two weeks in a coma, Shanei regained consciousness.

But happiness soon turned to disbelief when it became evident Shanei had no recollection of ever having a daughter.

Early in May memories of Reanei slowly started coming back into focus for Shanei – but she still wasn’t able to recall the nightmare crash and explained her daughter’s absence by insisting she was simply away at crèche.

“Doctors haven’t been able to test her for amnesia because she’s not strong enough yet – but we think she’s blocking memories,” Annelie says.