DIAGNOSED with a tumour on her brain behind her eye, Kiewiet Heath’s only aim is to help those in need by sharing an encouraging word, a warm smile and a beautiful poncho.
Despite adversity, this lively 58-year-old woman chooses to live each day with a positive attitude and joy in her heart.
Having recently handed over 16 beautifully crocheted ponchos to Zululand Observer’s non-profit organisation Do I Care Enough? (DICE), Heath plans to continue donating her work to those in need to hopefully make a difference in staying warm this winter.
‘It started when my granddaughter was born in November and I saw a pattern in a magazine for a crocheted blanket. I thought it would be a very special gift for her,’ said Heath.
‘With winter not being very kind on some days, it made me think of those less fortunate. Blankets take too long to get done, so I settled on a poncho – which was actually a doll’s pattern,’ she chuckled.
Fighting cancer
Even with her eyesight deteriorating due to the tumour, Heath plans to crochet and donate more ponchos to surrounding outreach programme coordinators.
‘When I was diagnosed, doctors said I might go blind and they were not able to remove the tumour because it is situated in a sensitive spot. But, I am doing well. My next MRI scan is only next year,’ she said.
‘I have pulled through purely by the grace of God. It does not help to feel sorry for myself, it makes those around me miserable and when you are negative, your body responds negatively.
‘Stay positive, hold on to God and believe He will make a change,’ she said.
A member of the Golden Years’ Club, Heath knows how to crack a good joke.
‘I went for a check up and there were three staples in my head. When I got back to the club, I said to the ladies ‘If I start dancing on the tables, just push my staples back in’, but they were not amused,’ she chuckled.
Where it all started
Born and raised in Hobhouse, a small town in the Free State bordering Lesotho, Heath moved to Richards Bay in 1992 with her husband and high school sweetheart who she met in Standard 8.
‘We had a pen pal system called ‘Sonskyn Hoekie’ and that’s how I met my husband who was in the army at the time. We just started writing letters only to discover that his dad and my uncle were colleagues,’ she said.
‘We’ve been married for 40 years now and he has been incredibly supportive through my journey with the cancer and radiation,’ she said with a sweet smile.
