THREE years ago if felt as if a light switch was flipped off, plunging their world into darkness and despair. The joyous sound of children’s laughter was replaced with bitter weeping, and they thought they ’d never recover from their loss.
But now a ray of light has pierced through the fog and the gurgles and giggles of a little baby are filling their home once more. And for Odeté and André de Vries it feels like nothing short of a miracle.
The couple welcomed their baby girl, Alleyahné, seven months ago and they’re overjoyed at her arrival.
She’s still too little to know about the tragedy that plunged her family into mourning. But one day her parents will tell her about her two siblings, Dameon and Kayllé, who died at the age of seven and five respectively, three years ago.
André and Odeté of Gansbaai in the Western Cape had woken from a Sunday afternoon nap to find the kids gone. After searching they found a basket containing biscuits and apples near the nearby dam, which was fuller than usual because of rainy weather, and a canoe that had been tied up earlier that day.
The children’s bodies were found in the dam and their deaths would’ve been instant, experts told the grieving parents. It’s believed they went out on the canoe and it capsized.
They thought they’d never be able to speak about Dameon and Kayllé without crying, Odeté and André tell YOU.
They also thought they wouldn’t have more kids.
“We’d said we don’t want any more children, but the Lord makes His own decisions,” Odeté says. “He decides what’s best for us.”
Denne historien er fra 20 July 2023-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.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 20 July 2023-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life