Leap year babies – forever young
"We, the leap year babies, are very special because we do not age as fast as the rest of the people. This year I am celebrating my 11th birthday."
POLOKWANE – Kadré Hartlief (44), who was born on a leap day, says she was a premature baby and born at home in the early hours of the morning.
“My mom, who was a nurse at the time, delivered me herself. I was so small, my mom said that I fitted into a shoe box,” Hartlief says.
She is the second eldest of five children and, according to Hartlief, she is the only one in her family whose birthday is on 29 February. As a child, Hartlief’s parents celebrated her birthday on 28 February.
“Every year I had a party. When I became older I started celebrating my birthday from 28 February right through to 1 March, because my birthday is in between. After the death of my son two years ago, I stopped celebrating my birthday because he died a day after my birthday. He was not just my son, he was my best friend. I shared everything with him. With him gone, my birthday is just not the same and I don’t see the point in celebrating it anymore.”
Hartlief says her son used to tease her about her birthday.
“Every leap year he would always joke and say I must be quiet because he is older than me and he is thus the eldest in the house. We would laugh so hard. I miss him very much,” she explains.
She adds that even though she does not celebrate her birthday anymore, her grandmother never misses her birthday.
“She is always the first one to wish me happy birthday and she always buys me a gift,” Hartlief smiles.
Hartlief’s birthday wish is that one day all the leap year babies across South Africa would have one big party.
