Goodbye Boipelo

Friends of mine visited Boipelo a couple of times in the hospital and told me that although she was being fed through a drip she was relatively strong within herself and looking forward to getting out of hospital. Boipelo had developed mouth sore which had spread into her throat making it impossible for her to take food orally.Friends told me that she was in discomfort but the situation certainly didn’t appear to be life-threatening. 

When some friiends of mine visited Boipelo at the end of November Boipelo had asked them to make sure that as many people as possible visited her on 2nd December as that would be her 21st birthday. She was excited about her birthday and although disappointed to be bed ridden in hospital she still wanted to make the best of things. 

2nd December happens to be my birthday as well as Boipelo’s so when the phone rang at the crack of dawn I thought little of it believing it to be one of my parents or my brother calling to wish me a Happy Birthday. In fact I was ready to tell them off for calling me at such an ungodly hour. However, when I answered the phone all I heard was sobbing. She didn’t need to tell me what I’d already realised – that Boipelo had died – in the early hours of the morning on the day of her 21st birthday.