THE festive season is always a time of great celebration in Gerda Theron's household - a time to give thanks for the joy of her "triplets" and for the fact she's able to care for them and live a full, productive life.
Three years ago, things were very different. Gerda (41), who lives in Wellington in the Western Cape, was diagnosed with a brain tumour and after it was removed in a gruelling 16-hour procedure she was left a shadow of her former self.
She was unable to speak, paralysed on one side and almost blind in one eye. It took months of intense therapy and gritty determination before she could do things for herself again.
But Gerda was hellbent on getting better for her young boys and to resume the hobby she loved: painting. And her perseverance has paid off. She's now getting ready to host an exhibition of her artworks - even if the prospect of hanging up her paintings still feels like a dream.
"Art was never a big thing to me before," she says. "But after my operation it became more exciting.
Denne historien er fra 22 December 2022-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra 22 December 2022-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.
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SA'S TOXIC FOOD SCARE
R15 million for rapid testing
ROYAL FAMILY TURMOIL
Prince Haakon addresses stepson's arrest on rape charges
BALLON IN THE BAG
Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football
IT WAS ALL A LIE
A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country
AGREE TO DISAGREE
Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book
PAUSE THE CLOCK
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MPOOMY ON TOP
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MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court
MATT THE RECLUSE
A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight
