Young Beverley resident helps others even through her grief

Sinenhlanhla Lukele, a 24-year-old Unisa student residing in Beverley has been through a lot in the past two years.
She tells us her story about the struggles she had to face after losing her mother:

So my journey has been long, my mother died last year April. She died of lupus and after she was diagnosed she was in and out of the hospital a lot which took a toll on me. We never knew of such an illness until it happened to my mom.

After my mom passed, my sister and I had to leave home due to some unfortunate reasons and that’s where all the problems started.

I am currently studying social work and I’m currently in my third year. School was never a problem, I have been an A student ever since I started studying but after the whole incident, it was hard for me to concentrate and cope during my exams. I was stressed because I realised that I had to grow up quicker, I had to find a job while balancing school too.

I also had to find a place to do my practicals and I didn’t know anyone in this area, so I was stressed and failing wasn’t an option. I eventually came across Daily Bread, a non-profit organisation that is five minutes away from where I stay.
The time that I volunteered there was a great experience and an eye-opener, it became my escape. If I hadn’t volunteered at Daily Bread, I would’ve lost my passion for helping people and I feel like being there made me stronger because I realised that even though I am going through a lot, I can still do this and I can still help people.

This journey was the toughest battle that I ever faced in my life. The year my mom died, I lost my confidence, my motivation and myself.

I want people to know that grief is painful and unpredictable, you never know when it is going to stop. I think it is so important for the youth to seek help and go to therapy or just find their escape. We also have to realise that life is never easy but we just have to move on because the world won’t stop for us to heal.

Related Article:

Sandton CPF calls for residents to attend this month’s meetings