Andries van der Merwe

‘I was born with cystic fibrosis, and throughout my childhood I suffered multiple infections and spent a lot of time in hospital. But our family always took the approach of being grateful for the life I had and living it to the full, even though we knew this disease was a slow death sentence. ‘By the time I was in my 20s, I was really battling. I struggled to climb stairs; even getting into a car was exhausting. As my condition worsened, I had to stop working. I was on oxygen all the time and experiencing pain all over my body. It took all my energy to just keep breathing. ‘Getting that call to say that lungs had been found… I went through so many emotions. I’d had a false…

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Fairlady South Africa (Digital) - 1 Issue, Mar/Apr 2024

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