An Introduction

I thought it was time to tell you more about me. I was born and raised in South Africa. My journey as a writer started at a small-town newspaper as a journalist. I moved to a bigger city and became a crime reporter for several years, where I worked closely with the police and attended many crime scenes. After much deliberation, I started working as a freelance journalist, writing for national newspapers and magazines. After years of writing, I became a proofreader and editor for Afrikaans (my first language) and English, of manuscripts and theses. I also translate Afrikaans/English manuscripts.

Fast forward several years, and I finally took on blogging. The reason for that first blog was to share my journey as a mother who lost a child to suicide. I needed to educate parents about mental health, depression, and suicide. For far too long, there was a stigma attached to anything that would make you look “crazy”. Nobody wants to discuss it and try to sweep it under the rug until it “goes away”. It won’t go away, it happens every day. People die by suicide because they feel weak for admitting they have a problem and need help.

For years, I blogged on a South African platform called Letterdash. It was a lively interactive platform where we shared our experiences of woe, love, and family. I met many of my fellow bloggers at what we called MOBs (Meeting of Bloggers). Unfortunately, the site closed, and I tried for years to find another place to pen my thoughts. Hopefully, Substack will fill that void.

With this blog, I aim to share my journey as a parent of a suicide. I will address everyday hurdles and struggles after the loss of a child. I also write inspirational pieces, free-form poems, essays, and stories of my crazy life. I have shared many of my stories here, and my subscribers have come to know me well.

I hope to make many friends here on Substack, and perhaps one day we can also have a MOB.

Namaste