Rest Well, Little One

Her family are devastated that she’s gone but find comfort in the fact that their beloved Nadya is no longer in pain

- Pieter Van Zyl

It's just after 9.30 am on a late spring day when a hearse pulls up outside the church in the northern suburbs of Cape Town.

Before entering the church, mourners wearing masks have their temperatures taken. They also sign a register before taking their seats and preparing to say their final goodbyes to Nadya Roos Stirk.

Large pictures of the laughing little girl are displayed in the foyer.

There’s a table with funeral pamphlets, bottled water, tissues, and blue ribbons for mourners to wear in support of hydrocephalus – a condition that causes babies to be born with a build-up of fluid in the brain. Nadya was born with hydrocephalus and recently lost the battle she so bravely fought.

There’s a somber atmosphere in the church as the pallbearers come down the aisle.

Nadya’s mom, Melissa, her uncle, Morné, grandmother Christa and grandfather Werner carry the tiny white coffin in silence. The four-year-old’s stepdad, Michael Smith, is also with them.

On top of the coffin are roses in Nadya’s favourite colours, yellow and pink.

A table with flowers has been set up in front of the pulpit with framed pictures of the little girl, her pink medical booties and her favourite plush toy, Minnie Mouse.

Behind the pulpit, hundreds of pictures of loved ones cuddling her are displayed on a large screen.

By the time Pastor Philip Strauss starts the service, there isn’t a dry eye in the church. “Today I want to bring a message of hope,” he tells the 45 mourners gathered to celebrate Nadya’s short life.

“She lived authentically for her four years here on Earth. She was a warrior princess. Like a boxer in the ring, she always got up again.

“Now she has a new life in heaven.”