Memorial Service

A memorial service will be held for Nikki on Friday 2 September, at 3pm, at Valley Christian Church, Fish Hoek.

Instead of flowers, please consider making a donation to The South African Riding for the Disabled Association, a cause close to her heart. Details are:

Standard Bank
Branch No: 036009
Account No: 271915889.

Thank you for all of your beautiful messages of comfort. We are so blessed by them all.

Our precious, courageous, amazing Nix went home to be with Jesus at 11.30 this morning. I was privileged to be with her when she went. There was an amazing presence of God in the room as we sat with her. She leaves such an incredible legacy of faith in our God for her sweet children. She will forever leave a hole in our hearts and our world. Please watch this space, I want to tell you all the full story when I am feeling more up to it...

Our precious, courageous, amazing Nix went home to be with Jesus at 11.30 this morning. I was privileged to be with her when she went. There was an amazing presence of God in the room as we sat with her. She leaves such an incredible legacy of faith in our God for her sweet children. She will forever leave a hole in our hearts and our world. Please watch this space, I want to tell you all the full story when I am feeling more up to it...

Visiting Nix

NOTICE: If you would like to visit Nikki, you may do so at her home between 3 - 4 pm in the afternoons. Please keep visits short and cheerful and be sensitive to her and those around her. Thank you all for your love, prayers and support which mean the world to all of us now. Nix loves her people and would love to have you around her at this time. xxx

It is incredibly hard for me to write this post. Nikki's condition is deteriorating hourly now. She is having difficulty moving, eating, drinking and is no longer lucid. I spent most of today with her and feel like the time that passed from this morning until now was a week long.

We said goodbye to our precious friends Sam and Robs as they flew home to their families this evening. Their time here was so refreshing, deep and memorable - thank you so much guys, that time meant more than I can say in words. (A memory I will never forget was bouncing together on the bed to "Dancing Queen" at Nix's request on Friday afternoon. It was the highlight of her day. She said that she always thought of us when she watched that part of the movie and it made her laugh so we re-enacted it for her).

Huge thanks to Ainslie, Chan, Steven and Tania and Mark who were such a support to us today. And my darling husband - I am so grateful for him, he is such a rock in my life. Please continue to uphold us in prayer tomorrow, as things are not getting any easier. Tania has the children tonight but they are staying home from school tomorrow and will spend time with their mom and dad tomorrow morning. I know it will not be easy for them to see her this way and they will have plenty of questions. Please hold Adrian up in prayer - my heart is breaking anyway, but when I look at him, I just feel like it is being ripped apart. My precious Sydney turns 5 on Thursday. She has been looking forward to her special day for months and has been counting down the days on the calendar. It's really difficult to think of a birthday when you're facing all this. I will have to do some explaining to my children tomorrow too and will take them to see Nix.

I was encouraged by this scripture sent to me today: “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who knows my way.” (Psalm 142:3)

This post was supposed to have been published yesterday morning but I obviously wasn't thinking straight then so this is Saturday's news:

We spent the morning in the Emergency Unit at Constantiaberg with Megan. It turns out she has fractured the bone just above her elbow on her left arm. Unbelievable! She is such a trooper and they have put a back slab cast onto the arm and strapped it. She needs to see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday.

Our friend, Sue Vincent, who is also a dietician came to see Nikki to give her some advice on what to eat at this stage. Conveniently, we were at the hospital with the arm story and could pick up some of the things she recommended. Nix enjoyed drinking them and they seem to be helping loads - thank you so much Sue.

Nix did not have a good morning - she has been in a lot of pain. So we stayed away and allowed her to rest as much as possible. Queenie and Pops had her children today. Ours are at home, Megs is resting her sore arm which is now also heavy (because of the plaster cast) and itchy because things always itch when you cant scratch them!!

The girls spent a lovely afternoon with Nix - basking in the sunshine on her bed as she dozed. I think she enjoyed the buzz going on around her without feeling the pressure to join in the conversation.

Please keep praying for God's grace to carry us through this time, especially for Nix - I don't know how much more her tummy, legs and feet can swell - she is so uncomfortable and battles to move or turn herself in bed. It's so incredibly hard watching her suffer this way.

Time for an update after the last few hectic days. This week has been the longest one of my life. I CAN NOT believe it was only a week ago that Nix was admitted to VP.

Nikki decided yesterday to come home and leave behind her all the chemotherapy, poking, prodding and 5 am wake up calls (seriously, someone actually came in at 5am yesterday to take her waist measurement!!!). For the first time in 3 years, she is chemo free! It is a big step in faith but she has such a peace about it. She tires very easily and is still in a lot of discomfort from her swollen tummy and organs, legs and feet. She is so happy to be back in her home and with her beautiful family again. She is continuing to take morphine to ease the pain a bit.

Andy and Hilda (Adrian's folks) arrived home yesterday after 3 days travelling back from Sabi Sands where they were holidaying with Adrian's brother and family. It is so good to have them back.

Our gorgeous friend, Sam McKay arrived today from Joburg to visit and Robs, Chan, Sam, Nix and I (and sweet little baby Roxy) spent a really special afternoon together. I think it did her precious soul good to be surrounded with great friends. Robs and Sam are both here for the weekend and head out on Sunday. It is such an amazing blessing to have them here with us at this time.

As regards visiting now that Nix is back home, we are going to have to limit visiting time to similar times as they have in the hospital - 2 short slots in the day - as more than that is exhausting for her. At this stage, still only family members and the friends who have come to visit from afar. We will see how she is doing after that. Please continue to send SMS'es / texts or comments on the blog. I will pass them on to her. We can read them to her from her phone too but please understand that she is not in a condition to reply to messages at this time.

OK, I'm signing off now. In addition to the Nikki story, our little bunny Leila was killed by our neighbour's dogs yesterday, seriously upsetting the flow of family life in our home. Then, Megan fell off the pony today and it looks like she may have broken or fractured her arm. (Because I was with Nikki and our friends this afternoon, Pete and I only got to hear about it at about 7pm and she is in a lot of pain. We have been advised to strap it and have given her some serious pain killers as apparently the hospital will not do anything about it till the morning anyway). So we will wait to see what tomorrow brings. Never a dull moment...give me strength!