My mother, Thelma

Last night I heard that there were a misunderstanding on the farm buying by my sister and her husband. I don't know if I must feel guilty for being relieved, but I am.

Today I want to tell you about my mother. She was born in 22 Nov 1935 in then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), my grandmother died when my mother was still young, the doctors then said she died of kidney stress (my mother later suspect that it was PKD). My mother had 2 brothers, who stayed Zimbabwe (both with PDK) and a sister, also staying in Zimbabwe (also with PKD, she also had the cysts on her liver) another sister, from Mosselbay, who does not have PKD, and then my mother (with PKD). All of them died a few years ago accept my aunt in Mosselbay.

My mother went onto dialysis, 26 years ago, at the then HF Verwoerd Hosp (now Pretoria Academic Hosp)as a military patient. They are one big family there. She had her transplant 24 years ago while my sister were in her last school year and during her matric farewell. The one photo show me and my sister with my mother in hospital on the night of my sisters farewell.

She also had Osteoporosis and could not walk properly the last few years. She had a form of skin cancer that, every now and then, had to be removed surgically. She were terrified of anaesthesia so she will always go with only local. After her transplant she had to go for follow-ups every three months at Pretoria Academic Hospital with Prof Carosite and his team. She had a fistula in her right arm (her grandchildren said it was her engine because of the vibration). We were at the hosp at 6 in the mornings, of her visit, just to be seen early so that I could go back to work. It was a mission with the wheelchair and everything going there, but I did not mind. It was only every three months. She was so nerves every night before her visit, thinking of all the things that could happen during her follow-up. After the visit we will have breakfast (round about 8:30) in the restaurant then I take her back home. This is a routine that I miss every now and then with her, just the being together.

She was a big introvert. Because of the big liver, her stomach was very big and swollen and she felt very shy about that. I had to beg her every now and then just to go with me somewhere just to get her out of the house. She did not want to be and inconvenience to anybody so she rather stay at home (she said I must struggle with the wheelchair when we go). She sometimes went with me to visit our friends Petro and Gerrie. She and my sister stayed with them during her dialysis period and my sister went to school. My father and brother still stayed in the then South West Africa (Namibia)for my brother to finish his school. They came to SA after his last exam.

My mother died 22 October 2005 a month before her 70th birthday, she suffered a lot and I know that she is much happier were she is at the moment with no pain and no problems. Her kidney she called "Soekie" and Soekie had her 22nd birthday in Sept 2005.

My mother also had the cysts on her liver. Her liver was so big and made her very uncomfortable but the function was very good.