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.”
This story is from the 3 December 2020 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the 3 December 2020 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!
Kourtney Kardashian and other celebs are honouring the glory of new moms' postpartum bodies
LEON'S ORDEAL IS NO JOKE
Pain has dominated entertainer Leon Schuster's life after a serious back injury landed him in bed. But despite being depressed he remains hopeful he will recover so he can get back to work
'BREAK THE SILENCE'
That's the message of the Scottish comedian who turned his experience of stalking and sexual abuse into a hit Netflix show
A PLACE OF HOPE AND HEALING
Damaged people and abused dogs find a safe haven and a chance to start again at this farm in the Cape Winelands
FROM SPERM DONOR TO DAD OF 37
Peter Ellenstein's life took an unexpected turn when a message from a daughter he never knew he had led to him meeting dozens of his children and exploring what it means to be a father without ever having raised them
GRATEFUL FOR EVERY BREATH
A double lung transplant has given this chef a second chance at life - and he'll never forget the young man who made it possible
THE GAMES ARE GO!
Preparations are well under way in the City of Lights for the world's greatest sporting spectacle
MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
We break down what the new rules are and what to expect for the seventh national elections later this month
TOM'S A TOP GIFTER
He's known to go ALL OUT for his movies and stunts, so it's no surprise TOM CRUISE also PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS for his friends when it comes to GIFTS
TAMING THE BEAST
Recognising and managing your anger can make for a happier and healthier you