I FEEL SAFE & CONTENT

Her life was turned upside down when she learnt she was a stolen baby, but now happiness awaits Zephany Nurse

- MARELIZE GRBICH

FOR years she struggled with her identity crisis. Who was she, where did she belong and when should she celebrate her birthday?

And it’s little wonder. Zephany Nurse was 17 when she found out the life she’d been living was a lie, that the mom she adored had stolen her as a baby, and in the years that followed her shocking discovery, she battled to find direction.

But then she started to embrace every aspect of her two lives, choosing to use the name she was given at birth, but also accepting the name she grew up with – Miché Solomon. And along with the healing came more joy: a man who captured her heart.

Cape Town soccer coach Justin Sheldon proposed to her on her 25th birthday, Zephany tells YOU. And now for the first time in years she no longer has to focus only on picking up the pieces of her life.

“I’m very happy,” she says. “We understand how serious this commitment is and we’re looking forward to creating our life together.”

They belong to the same church and have known each other for years. Zephany was a worship leader, and Justin was in the church band but they didn’t really know each other well. “We used to greet each other, but that was all,” she says.

They became friends two years ago when Justin (31) worked as a driver in a private ride-hailing service and Zephany was a returning customer.

He was pretty old-fashioned about asking her to be his girlfriend, she says fondly. He took her to a restaurant in Constantia, Cape Town, and gave her a handwritten card and a box of chocolates.