Loved ones say goodbye as Miracle Mienke is laid to rest

A tragic incident, which took place in 2017, left baby Mienke Mulder dead for 15 minutes, but she was resuscitated and fought to live for a few more years.

The funeral took place on September 29 at the Jubilaté Church in Benoni after Mienke, who had a challenging few years medically, died on September 16.

Born on January 31, 2017, Mienke had no damage to her brain but suffered from this after going through a terrible ordeal when she choked on a bottle of milk at a day-care centre in August that year.

At the time, she could already sit, play with her toys and eat solid food.

Parents Ryno and Verna Mulder received the phone call that is every parent’s worst nightmare – they rushed to Mienke – where they were told their baby girl was declared dead.

However, Verna refused to give up and asked doctors to continue trying to resuscitate the infant, which they did, until they heard her heartbeat.

The MRI then showed her brain had no oxygen for about 30 minutes and Mienke, who was then known as Miracle Mienke, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy – a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance, and posture.

According to the parents, doctors said she would not be able to walk, talk, see, hear or lead a normal life.

“Mienke’s monthly expenses are about R50 000,” Verna told the City Times in 2017.

The Rynfield baby was admitted to a rehabilitation facility in Auckland Park for 16 weeks in 2017.

“Mienke was discharged at the end of December 2017, but she was back in hospital in February 2018,” said Verna.

“She was in ICU again for one month. She went in to have a few procedures done – botox, electroencephalography (EEG) and more, and she just got sick.

“She had one operation and a few small procedures while in ICU.”

In June of 2018 she was again admitted to hospital for another two weeks and had a few procedures as a result of her choking.

Miracle Mienke could not suck or swallow. She was fed through a tube and required a caregiver as she needed 24-hour attention.

But it was not all bad news for the little fighter in 2018.

“Mienke learnt how to move her head to either side, she was able to lift her head (but not yet hold it upright), move both her arms and legs, and open her hands,” Verna said.

She also could not make any sounds at first, but started making sounds and was much more aware of her surroundings.

The Benoni community joined hands to host several fund-raisers to help the family pay for the miracle baby’s medical expenses.

This was a challenge her parents never dreamed of, but strived to do the best they could.

“It was very challenging but most of the time we had her very comfortable,” Ryno said.

“She could not talk although she loved music. Her favourite was a song by Demi-Lee Moore called Mis eet slaap herhaal.

“She is survived by Verna, myself, and her sisters, Leane and Zamone.”

Verna added: “We want to thank everyone for their ongoing support, prayers and those who walked on this journey with us, we were never alone.”

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