Good Morning Angels: Help for young Martiné after a tragic accident claims six lives
Angel-help and support for mom Letitia and her miracle daughter Martiné, after the horrific Jan Kempdorp crash that claimed six lives.
Martiné Degenaar, 19, is a bright young achiever. She’s a first-year BEd Teaching student at the University of North West. Martiné was Head Girl of Hoërskool Overkruin when she matriculated last year with six distinctions and top athletics, hockey, and orators achievements. She is any parent’s dream child. Martiné’s single mom, Letitia, and her older sister, Anjolene (24), are both teachers, so education is in their blood.
Mom Letitia was on a school netball camp two hours away from Pretoria on Saturday, 29 October, when she received a blood-curdling call at around 8pm. Martiné was in a serious car crash on the road between Jan Kempdorp and Hartswater in the Northern Cape.
The crash scene was a tragedy: a head-on collision that left six people dead.
Martiné was a passenger in her friend Janke Coetzer's (19) car. Janke’s 16-year-old sister, Lize, their cousin, Albie Schutte (19), and another friend, Odine Swanepoel (19), were travelling in the car when they were hit head-on by another car with three passengers. Only Martiné and Albie survived. They were trapped in the wreck for four hours.
Martiné has been in hospital in Kimberly since the crash. She was transferred from ICU to a surgical ward on Sunday. She’s fully conscious, talks, and has been able to walk a few steps. She has short-term memory loss and refuses to talk about the crash.
Letitia has been by her side all along. She says the community in Kimberley has been extremely supportive, assisting with guest house accommodation, arrangements, and prayers.
Letitia is not looking too far into the future yet, rather taking it day-by-day and celebrating every sign of improvement in her daughter’s condition.
Letitia says Martiné’s progress is nothing short of a miracle and although they don’t know what the future holds yet, she remains strong in her faith that Martiné will soon be her sparkling, achieving, joyful self.
“There is a reason that she survived. Her work here on Earth is not yet done,” believes Letitia.
REQUEST FOR: Mom Letitia and daughter Martiné Degenaar
ANGEL 1: Retha Ingenbleeck, Spar North Region
SPONSORING: Spar will assist Letitia with monthly grocery vouchers of R2,500 for a year, to relieve some of the financial pressure and to support Martiné in her recovery (R30,000 total)
ANGEL 2: Jacqueline Kahlberg from the DisChem Foundation
SPONSORING: The DisChem Foundation will open an account for Letitia to use for Martiné’s wellness needs, at their nearest DisChem, with R3,000 credit a month for a year (R36,000 total)
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