A mother from Carletonville who lost her son in a vehicle accident is turning her grief into inspiration and a way of helping others.

Linda Braukmann-Saayman’s son, Michael, was killed in a vehicle accident in the Potchefstroom area in 2020.

Michael was a talented Grade 11-learner of Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom when the accident occurred while he was driving with friends.

Linda was devastated, and at first, distanced herself from others and buried herself in work. She, however, later attended an event for mothers and daughters at the school.

It was here that she met the Afrikaans actress and motivational speaker, Susan Coetzer.

After she burst into tears while speaking to Coetzer, Coetzer motivated and inspired her to start doing something positive to start working through her grief.

As Michael loved cooking with Linda in the kitchen, his mother decided that she would use baking as her healing, while staying close to God, trying to work through her grief. She started baking small fruit cakes last year and believes that the hard work that goes into this is helping to heal her.

The exquisite fruit cakes are not only packed with nuts and other tasty ingredients but also come in layers of beautiful wrapping that make anyone who opens and eats them feel special. Each mini fruit cake also has a special note inside that explains how the baking aids in her own healing process.

After Linda’s story appeared in the national Afrikaans women’s magazine Rooi Rose, many other mothers who lost their own children started to contact her to share how they struggled in similar ways to her.

“The gratitude of being able to help others in the same situation as me is helping a lot,” she says. The article also helped to increase orders for her delicious fruit cakes, and she now has to bake several times a week for orders coming in from as far as the Western Cape.

Readers can contact Linda at the Facebook page KekkelenKlets Hemelse Handewerk.