Passages

Just last evening as we were sitting and visiting a guest from Jo'burg (who is here to do a four-day workshop on Self-esteem with Benno's Mustard Seed gals) one of the gals, Mapulane, came by.

It was surprising to see her, and I'd only just met her once before. She's a new member of the group. Very soon after her arrival last night, we discovered that she was deeply--deeply--concerned. Her grandmother, the sole adult support for this orphaned family of three siblings, had entered the hospital the evening before. Yesterday morning when Mapulane stopped in to see her, the grandma was unresponsive... Mapulane had gone on to her day of school, but dropped by our home afterwards, concerned. What could we do?

The short of it is that I suggested even if visiting hours were over, that Benno take her to the hospital and just talk to someone there about her concern, to find out what her grandmother’s condition was. Me, being the optimist, figured she was just being an overly concerned young gal, and that she would hear more reassuring news if she dropped by QII.

So, this they did, and her concern was--obviously--very valid. Upon arrival, Benno discovered that her grandmother had died. There she was laying on the hospital floor, on a foam mat, no sheet even, and all around her the 'everyday' carrying on. No one seemed to have even realized (or cared) that she had died. There were patients all around, eating, visiting... and there she was. What a lonely way to die.

So, here is Mapulane, her twenty-one year old unemployed and undereducated brother, and an eleven-year-old sister. What will they do? I have no idea. How will they even deal with funeral arrangements? I have no idea. I am somewhat comforted to have our good friend ‘M’e Lerato who is increasingly becoming the ‘mom’ and social worker figure at Mustard Seed who will meet with Mapulane this morning and no doubt help to ‘make a plan’…