They Died On The Same Day
YOU South Africa|9 July 2020
Amy is grieving the loss of her beloved parents who both succumbed to Covid-19 within hours of each other
Colin Hendricks
They Died On The Same Day

Her biggest fear when the pandemic arrived in South Africa and started its insidious creep across the country was that one of her parents would get it.

She worried especially about her dad, a driver for Alexandra Hospital, a specialist mental healthcare facility in Cape Town.

As an essential worker in one of the industries most vulnerable to Covid-19, he knew he was at risk but he was hyper-vigilant about hygiene, Amy Volkwijn (19) says.

He kept his mask on at all times, he washed his clothes as soon as he got home and he sanitised his hands religiously.

Still, she fretted constantly that he’d get sick – although never for a second did she think he’d actually die from the virus.

“I thought if he got it, we’d get through it as a family and triumph through faith and prayer,” Amy says.

Barry (48) did get sick. He did die. And so too did her mom, Heidi (43), who passed away on the same day as her dad.

Now Amy, an only child, is all alone, isolating after testing Covid-19-positive too, and mourning the two people she loved most in the world.

Behind Amy on the video-call screen is a table full of flowers sent by loved ones, friends and colleagues shattered by the double blow.

Her only comfort, she says, is that her parents are together – united in death as they were in life.

Yet it’s still almost impossible to comprehend that they’re both gone.

“I still can’t believe it,” Amy says. “I’m still crying. Why my mom and dad? Why both of them? Why on the same day?”

Denne historien er fra 9 July 2020-utgaven av YOU South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra 9 July 2020-utgaven av YOU South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA YOU SOUTH AFRICASe alt
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
5 December 2024