Now I Believe In Miracles

Two of the Van Vuurens’ premature baby girls died – but at last little Lara has come home.

- Charlea Sieberhagen

THE odds were against the little girl from the word go. She was one of a set of trip­ lets born at 26 weeks, making her entrance in her parents’ car instead of in a hospital environment with professionals on hand to ease her into the world.

Her two sisters arrived soon after­wards – one in a lift and the other just outside the maternity ward.

It was a traumatic birthing experience for mom Jean­Mari van Vuuren (36). And it was followed soon afterwards by bad news from the doctors: not only were Lara, Julia and Lily very premature, they were also born with holes in their hearts and Jean­Mari and her husband, Divan (35), were warned difficult times lay ahead.

The doctors were right: both Julia and Lily would pass away soon after, leaving the couple heartbroken.

But now there’s finally cause for cele­bration – little Lara has been allowed to come home.

Jean­Mari sits in the lounge of the family’s home in Langeberg Ridge, Cape Town, with her tiny daughter in her arms. At four months she’s still smaller than the average newborn.

“Miracle Lara – that’s what the fantas­tic team at Cape Gate Mediclinic called her,” Jean­Mari says.

Lara was discharged after spending the first 118 days of her life in the hospi­tal’s neonatal intensive care unit and Jean­Mari is battling with a range of emo­tions. As delighted as she is to have one of the babies with her, the homecoming is bittersweet. On a cupboard under the stairway, next to a vase of yellow roses, are two tiny wooden caskets.

At first there was just one, about the size of a pencil case, for Lily’s ashes. She died on 31 October, the day after being born. Then Jean­Mari and Divan had to get another one when they lost Julia on 3 January.