Personal message

Hi there. My name is Etienne Emmanuel and the lovely lady to my right is Lynnette Wienand.

We've been friends since 2019 having met at the shop where I used to work.

For reasons unbeknownst to me we have always kept in contact and when she left to visit her eldest son in New Zealand during the course of 2023 she was gone for almost 7 months where we had little to no contact at all. While she was away the youngest of her two sons passed away and he was the only real reason she was looking forward to coming home to South- Africa to spend Christmas with her boy. Unfortunately he passed away while she was on her travels and she came back to an empty home.

This obviously devastated her and considering her frail age of 78 she needed the help of a care giver. She did not like this idea at all. After months of not hearing from her I decided to pop in and give her a surprise visit just before Christmas. The look on her face when she saw me was a gift in of itself to someone who was also going to be spending his Christmas alone. Those who know me know that I lost my mother and only younger brother both to suicide so I've been alone for a long time already. I was preparing to spend yet another Christmas on my own which really got me down, but I feel as if I was sent to her for a reason and the reason has become ever so clear.

The picture is of the two of us together on Christmas and it was the best gift either of us could of given to the other. One of the first things Lynn said to me is that she needed me and that I should move in with her because she was unhappy with her current caregiver, which certainly caught me off guard. Now as honoured as I was at this request I knew I didn't possess the necessary skills to take on such a duty. I was scared. This is a monumental responsibility. I thought about it and I thought about it and I concluded that all I wanted was to make my friend happy. She told me she hasn't been into her garden since she has returned and that sank my heart.

All I wanted to do was lift her up and take her outside. So my plea to all of you who have taken the time to read this far is that I am embarking on a mission to raise funds so that I can do a home-based care course so that all of us involved feel safe that I have the necessary skills to be there for my friend. I have a day job that unfortunately doesn't pay all that well but it's enough to get me by. I want nothing in return from Lynn. While I'm at work she can have someone at the house for during the day which will also reduce her costs of having someone sleep in, and I will expect nothing in return for taking over the night shift. Just the satisfaction of being there to keep her company and so she has someone she feels comfortable and safe with. Trust me this is something that I never thought I would do but I've dived into the research and I've come to a ball park figure of around R10 000 for the studies.

Nothing is worse than asking people for help but if you never ask the answer will always be no. Many friends have helped over the years, Lynn asked me and now I'm asking you.

I'll document this whole journey with Lynns permission of course, and you can join us for the ride as two of the unlikeliest of friends keep each other company in world beset on tearing us apart.

I appreciate anyone and everyone's support. Together Everyone Achieves More.