RISING TO THE CHALLENGES

In the space of a few years she lost a child, was diagnosed with breast cancer and her marriage ended, but Verna continues to face life with courage and optimism

- JACQUES MYBURGH

THE house is bright and inviting, filled with light and splashes of colour and the laughter of children. There are family pictures on the walls, just as there are in many family homes and, like most family photos, they tell a story.

And there's plenty going on behind these pictures. The mom smiling as she poses with her three little girls has been through so much - loss, illness, trauma, upheaval.

Her youngest child isn't here anymore. Gone too are the long gleaming locks she used to take such pride in. There are also no pictures of the children's father - the end of her marriage has now been added to the list of life-changing events.

But Verna Mulder (31) is feeling positive. She and daughters Leané (11) and Zamoné (7) moved into this house in Kempton Park recently and the new home represents a fresh beginning, she says.

Mienke, the little girl she lost three years ago, is still very much part of their family. "We keep her alive by talking about her often," Verna says. "I don't want my daughters to say one day when they're older that they didn't know they had a sister."

The tragic story of Mienke is well known: she was seven months old when she choked on milk at her daycare centre six years ago and suffered brain damage as a result of oxygen deprivation.

She lived for three years and the family clung to hope that she might one day recover enough to live a full life - but the little girl had many infections and complications and her heartbroken family said their final farewell to their beautiful daughter and sister in October 2020.

Since then Verna has been diagnosed with breast cancer and she and Ryno, the children's father, have split up.

"There were many factors that contributed to the divorce," she says.

She doesn't want to elaborate too much because it's a private matter, but she believes it's for the best.