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.
Denne historien er fra 30 November 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra 30 November 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
IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY
Lynn and Kairo Forbes invite us into their home as they prepare for their second Christmas without AKA
DENZEL'S DECADE OF SOBRIETY
Expensive wine was his weakness but these days the legendary Hollywood actor is all about clean living
WE DID IT FOR YOU, DAD
It was a dream come true for Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse when they ran out together for the Boks – but it was bittersweet too
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IAM NO DIFFERENT
Despite being born without legs, Kanya Sesser truimphs at anything she sets her mind to
OUR WONDERFUL, WEIRD WORLD
Bizarre and beautiful spots exist off the well-worn tourist paths that criss-cross our precious planet
GOD'S INFLUENCER
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RUCK ON!
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MY KIDNEY FOR MY SON
This Cape Town mom is determined to lose 50kg so she can give her boy the gift of life
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
She's been deaf since she.was a baby but now Chermelle ;s slowly startmg to hear thanks to a Cochlear Implant
