Danielle loses brave battle

2008-12-01 08:51

Antoinette Pienaar

Pretoria - Danielle Roos, 15, the girl from the East Rand who had Ewing's sarcoma - a rare form of bone cancer - has died, after she was able to enjoy an early Christmas party with her family.

Her mother, Francis, 37, said on Sunday that Danielle died in her sleep early on Saturday morning - a day after she had a Christmas party with her family.

"We realised she was deteriorating rapidly and that she maybe wouldn't make Christmas. But we didn't think it would happen so quickly.

"On Friday evening she called me and said she wanted to go and play outside. It told her it was dark. Then she asked if she could sleep next to me.

"I picked her up and put her in bed with me and we chatted about all kinds of things. At about 03:00 in the morning I turned her a little to make her comfortable and at 06:00 she was gone.

"Her eyes were open. My sister says she had seen the Lord who had come to fetch her. She was peaceful and did not have any pain.

Until a few months ago Francis and her husband, Sollie, 39, lived with their children in a caravan park in Springs until a family member helped them to move into a rented property in Sharon Park.

They had to sell the house they owned to cover Danielle's medical bills.

"We bought her a cellphone for Christmas. She took off the wrapping paper, smiled and thanked us. We asked who she was going to phone and she said it would be her best friend, Monel Smal, 15.

"But she never got the chance to take it out of the packaging. It's suddenly so quiet here."

- Beeld