Born in Pretoria East hospital on 15 September 2000. Our son had a wonderful and healthy childhood... He enjoyed watching Scooby Doo with Mom and Dad, loved riding his bike around the neighbourhood, got a thrill out of beating Dad at Playstation and couldn’t wait for Sunday braais and his favourite bones (Spare Ribs).

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Devon was a beautiful child – both his physical appearance but also his inner beauty. When he laughed it was a roar of pure joy which came from the pit of his stomach. His eyes we also perceived as the window to his soul, they sparkled with goodness and radiated life.

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In the summer of 2005 Devon was diagnosed with a Wilems tumour (cancer of the kidney). His affected kidney was surgically removed and over the next 14 months underwent 4 more operations, 31 sessions of chemotherapy and 12 sessions of radiation. Despite all the efforts of the doctors, prayers and tears our brave son lost his battle and passed away at home on the morning of 27 March 2006 at the tender age of 5.

 

If there is any good that comes from this terrible disease is that you have the opportunity to say your good-byes. The conversations between parents and son in the sunset of his life will sustain us for the rest of our lives. Our son taught us more about the joys, trials and tribulations of life than anybody else has. He accomplished more in 5 years than we as parents could ever hope to achieve in the remainder of our journey on earth. The example our son gave on how to live life to the fullest, even in the face of extreme adversity, is a lesson that every adult can learn from. He turned us and many other individuals into better people – and that is the miracle of his life.

 

In the aftermath of Devon’s passing Vernon as a father realised that there were two distinctly different paths that he could follow – being consumed with bitterness and anger directed at God and the world, or analyse Devon’s life in a positive light.