A woman who lost her memory when she was hit by a bus in Cape Town is to be reunited with her family.
|||Cape Town -
After months of trying to remember who she was and where she came from, Brenda Lawack is to be reunited with her family in Plettenberg Bay.
Hearing the sound of her mother’s voice reduced Lawack to tears.
Lawack lost her memory when she was hit by a bus in Maitland in July, and has been staying at Nazareth House since being discharged from hospital in September. She had told people at Nazereth House that her surname was Grootboom.
After the Cape Argus reported last week on her plight, responses from people wanting to help assisted the paper in tracking down her family.
Staff and social workers at Nazareth House are pleased Lawack will be reunited with her family.
Social worker Jackie Hope said there were some logistical issues, but it was hoped Lawack could be sent home to Plettenberg Bay within two weeks.
“It is one of the best things to happen this year – it’s phenomenal.
“We wish we had put it in the paper sooner, then Brenda would have been reunited with her family sooner.”
Hope said she was amazed at how fast it had happened and that many people had tried to help. “She has become a part of the family here, so we will definitely miss her. She’s very helpful and willing to do things around the house.”
Brenda’s mother, Nobomvu Lawack, said she would love to have her daughter back home, especially as she had a seasonal job for the holidays.
“We are happy she is coming back, but I will have to look for someone to look after her during the day. I want her to come back and to see how she is.”
Nobomvu said the last time she had heard from her daughter was when she left for Cape Town in the early 2000s. “She said she was going to Cape Town to visit her father.”
Brenda’s aunt, Nonceba Champion, said she was willing to take care of her and hoped she would be home for Christmas. “She grew up with my mother, Elsie Tala, and was a good child until she dropped out of school. My mother passed away in March and the family will be spending Christmas at her house in the Eastern Cape. We hope Brenda will be there.”
Lawack said she would love to go home. “I miss my mother, sister and brother. I would be happy to go home for Christmas.”
yolisa.tswanya@inl.co.za
Cape Argus