They thought she’d be snatched away from them when cancer invaded her body as a baby – but their little girl was a fighter.
She went on to grow up, meet the love of her life and marry him.
Then tragedy struck: her beloved husband was killed in a freak trampoline accident and she fell apart. Ten months later she was dead – and her grieving parents believe she died of a broken heart.
In her final weeks, Amelia and Desmond Delport could only watch helplessly as their daughter, Denise du Toit, inched closer and closer to the grave. “I didn’t recognise her anymore,” Amelia says. “She looked like a living skeleton. I waited for death to claim her.”
In the months before her death, Denise (36) locked herself in her room at home in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, and refused to eat. She went from weighing a healthy 67kg to 28kg.
The official cause of death was organ failure but according to Amelia, Denise died because she couldn’t face life without her husband. She slipped into a deep depression after Awa du Toit (35) died in January. She refused to eat and wouldn’t get out of bed.
Amelia watched helplessly as her daughter’s health deteriorated dramatically. “My child died with Awa,” she says. “She continued to breathe for 10 more months but she was never really alive again.”
ãã®èšäºã¯ YOU South Africa ã® 3 December 2020 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ YOU South Africa ã® 3 December 2020 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
OUR BRAVE LITTLE FIGHTER
Like her late sister, little Elana was born with a rare lung condition and can't breathe without a ventilator, but her parents are walking this familiar path with courage and hope
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
With his new film, The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling put stunt doubles centre stage but how hard is it for a complete amateur to master the trade? Journalist Simon Usborne decided to find out
INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE
Irish writer Cecelia Ahern chats to YOU about writing her novels in longhand, her love of Lego and looking forward to her first wine-tasting in South Africa
THE KIDS ARE NOT OKAY
Something happened around 2010 that's had a huge impact on Gen Z, says a new book. It was the start of the phone-based childhood, and it's resulted in a rewiring of kids' brains - and a surge in depression and anxiety
HE'S ON THE BALL
Despite having no lower legs, -Grayton's prowess on the rugby field has made him a social media star
THIS ISN'T JUSTICE
A woman was shot dead by her fiancé, who said he thought she was an intruder. Now her family believe he got off lightly
THE BOSS IN CHARGE OF YOUR CROSS
As chief electoral officer of the IEC, Sy Mamabolo has his hands full these days!
HEARTBREAK AND HOPE
Relatives and loved ones share their stories as rescue efforts continue for the people still trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in George
BLOOMING!
Shes adored by fans and loathed by haters, but like the character she plays in her new movie, Anne Hathaway says shes putting her own Joy first
SUSSEXES' AFRICAN ADVENTURE
Meghan and Harry took Nigeria by storm â but relations with the royal family remain icy