Dainfern resident pays tribute to her late mom by gifting her wheelchair to disabled man

The dedicated Future City Fourways team put in long hours to clean up the intersection of Witkoppen and Leslie roads. During their efforts, they witnessed a touching moment that filled them with inspiration.

Cherie Eilertsen, a resident from Dainfern, pulled over her car and reached out to a disabled man who was seated at the roadside, seeking assistance.

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This is what her mother, Penny Dercksen, used to do everyday, sharing what little she had with Juice, as he is affectionately known.

“We knew, at home, that when we fetched her from where she stays, she would make sure she had money to share with him. She loved him as her own,” said Eilertsen.

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Dercksen may be gone, but her spirit lives on through her daughter, as she was packing her belongings on July 20.

The 88-year-old was also using a wheelchair and Eilertsen knew that she would be paying a special tribute to her mom when she gave it to the disabled man who had became like a son to her.

“I did not wish to sell it. I knew it would make her feel special, as [the] angel she was. I told him that ‘Gogo loves you so much and you know it right?’ he said, ‘yes,’ I then said, ‘she is no more, and I know she would have loved you to have her wheelchair.’”

The director of Future City Fourways said it an emotional day for both, it was also a humbling experience.

“This was an unbelievable experience, and made us realise that there are still good people in our country, and people are really assisting each other, and good will prevail. When I asked Juice how he felt, he had tears in his eyes and said, ‘God had heard his prayers and sent angels to help him.’

“Our condolences to the [Eilertsen] family for their loss, but we know that her mom would have been very proud of them.”

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