Daspoort tunnel birth: mom’s joy turns to tragedy within days

A Mountain View mom’s joy at giving birth to a son, soon turned into untold tragedy when her older son (6) died after battling several days with a fever.

Three days after giving birth in the Daspoort tunnel while on the way to hospital to deliver her baby, Jamie Lee Piek had to deal with the news that she had lost Dylan, the eldest of three boys.

“How am I going to celebrate my youngest son’s birthday in the future and mourn the death of the eldest one, three days later, another one was taken from me,” (sic) a heartbroken Piek told Rekord.

Piek arrived home after being discharged from hospital following the delivery of her son Aiden, on Monday, 21 September, when she received the news of the passing of the older son on Thursday.

Piek was too emotional to talk about the details surrounding the death of Dylan.

“How do you do it. How do you start day one without a part of your life? I miss my child. His laughter, his smiles. Him calling out ‘mom’, ‘mommy’. I am not going to make it through this,” (sic) Piek wrote in a Facebook entry on Friday morning.

Dylan was admitted to the Life Eugene Marais hospital last week Wednesday, on 16 September, with a fever. His heart was reportedly beating out of rhythm.

After Dylan’s admittance to hospital, Piek had taken to social media to ask if anyone’s children had been diagnosed with paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS-TS).

A worried Piek had written: “None of us is allowed to be with him. No visit or anything, only calls.

“My heart is so sore and still after Wednesday (16 September), he has still not been diagnosed but every day tests are done, he has a bug in his throat,” she posted.

Piek described her late son as her “bolla blom” and said she would never forget him.

“You were prim and proper. In your place most beautiful way and so intelligent, mum’s life was torn to shreds today, dear Jesus lent you to mum, I know but oh Lord it was lacking we still had so much to do with you (sic).

“Dad had so much to teach you, still so much to do with you, riding bike, fishing and doing experiments.

“I thank dear Jesus for the short time my bun blooms. You were strong and healthy, never a day sick, how should mom ever accept it? You were my beginning and my end. To be mom, how to buy you your first school clothes, you were so excited for ‘big school’ my child, suitcase, shoes and all, your life was before you my child.

“I am broken, I am crushed. My life will never be the same again. Thank you for your brother Aiden. He will indeed know who you are. You were too perfect for the world.”

The cause of Dylan’s death has not yet been made available.