Some of life’s hardest experiences leave questions that take years to answer. For Deidre Hendricks, surviving a childhood car crash, walking away from an abusive marriage and facing breast cancer became defining moments in a journey shaped by faith, courage and hope.

Speaking to women who attended the UJ Academy’s inaugural high tea on October 10, Hendricks delivered a heartfelt and deeply personal talk titled Gracefully Broken.

Read more: FNB research shows South African parents struggle with children’s education costs

She began with a memory from March 13, 1980, the eve of her 10th birthday. Hendricks was travelling with her 21-year-old brother and six-year-old cousin when a drunk driver crashed into their car at high speed, setting it alight.

Her brother urged her to jump, but she was trapped by her seatbelt. She eventually freed herself, while her young cousin, who had been unconscious after the impact, died later that evening.

Although Hendricks escaped physically unharmed, the tragedy left her asking God why she had survived and what purpose her life held. Years later, she faced another life-changing decision. After marrying a man whose potential she believed in despite the warning signs, she found herself in a relationship marked by loneliness and damaged self-esteem.

The birth of her son changed her perspective. She began questioning what she was teaching him about love, respect and relationships.

“How do you teach a child about love?” she asked. “You can talk the talk, but children don’t listen to words.  They look at actions; they look at behaviour.”

Determined to break the cycle, Hendricks walked away from the marriage with her young son and the clothes on her back.

She eventually reconnected with a man she had known in her youth. They married, and at 43, she became a mother to a daughter, embracing what she described as a beautiful new chapter in her life.

Then, in February 2015, while her daughter was just 17 months old, Hendricks was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer after discovering a lump in her right armpit.

Also read: Why Braamfontein Werf can’t stop talking about the women in pink helmets

Faced with difficult treatment decisions, she chose an aggressive medical approach, determined to fight for more time with her husband and children. “I realised that I have too much to live for,” she said. “That I am not cancer.”

Six months of chemotherapy, surgery and 25 radiation sessions followed. The treatment was physically and emotionally gruelling, but Hendricks said it also deepened her connection with God and helped her recognise the people she could depend on.

Her final radiation session took place on December 23, a Christmas gift she would never forget. Her cancer went into remission, and she remains grateful that it has stayed in remission.

Hendricks acknowledged that she still does not understand every hardship or outcome in her life. But she has learnt that faith does not mean having answers to every painful question. “What once made you feel weak can become the very place where your faith begins to grow,” she said.

Her message to women is that, whatever challenges they may be facing, their lives still hold purpose and their most difficult experiences do not have to define them.
“Every single one of us was created with purpose. We carry within us strength, and we have the power to choose hope over despair,” she said.

She left her audience with a final reminder to embrace life despite its uncertainties: “Walk boldly, live fully, and never forget that the best chapters of your story are still waiting to be written.”

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!