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LETTER
'We'll miss you, Riaan'
29/06/2006 10:45 - (SA)
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| Willie Loots and his wife, Lana, mourn on Sunday after their rugby-playing son was taken off a ventilator. (Yunus Mohamed, Die Burger) |
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Dear Editor,
A son died tragically after a brutal rugby match on Sunday afternoon; a brother, a soul mate and a friend.
Hearts were broken and dreams were shattered with the realisation that he would never wake up again.
Heart-wrenching sobs filled the ICU as family and close friends were granted their last moments with rugby player Riaan Loots who lay motionless and brain-dead.
I held his hand, so warm, as I spoke to him softly. Regret washed over me - oh, how I wish I had taken the opportunities given to me to know him better!
His sister-in-law stood next to me, softly stroking his hair and kissed him on his forehead.
Tears couldn't save him
If only our tears could've saved him - there were so many! Among the turmoil of emotions, it seemed as if Riaan was the only one at peace.
With not a scratch or a bruise, despite the battering his body took, he left this cruel world as he had entered it, perfect.
How do you watch a mother say good-bye to her beloved son? My heart broke with every tear I saw her shed.
How can you express your sorrow to a father who will never again be able to hug his son and tell him how much he loves him?
What words could console his brothers who shared their lives together, not only while growing up, laughing, playing and fighting, but until this dreadful day?
Young lovers who dream of growing old together - how do you understand the loss and heartache his girlfriend feels?
The laughter that he brought to everyone he knew can't and won't ever be replaced.
It is a tragedy that the game he lived to play, he died playing. That such an attack even occurred is unfathomable!
But, if ever there was a truly inspirational person who despite hardship would not accept defeat, then it was Riaan Loots!
It is with love I write this for his family and friends, as I have no other way of expressing my sorrow to them.
Your son died on Sunday afternoon; your brother, your soul mate and your friend. And, I am so sorry for your loss.
Chantell Reynolds (Riaan's brother's girlfriend)
Gordon's Bay
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