Radio celeb Rian van Heerden shocked by mother testing positive for Covid-19
"The sister phoned me afterwards and said she 'noticed warning signs'.
Radio personality and local celeb Rian van Heerden was still in shock on Monday afternoon after his mother tested positive for Covid-19. Late Saturday afternoon, the television and radio celebrity, Van Heerden received a phone call from their house doctor informing him that his mother’s results came back positive.
Rona van der Merwe (84), who resides with her husband Jules in a retirement village in Eldoraigne is in self-isolation.
“I spoke to my mother last week Tuesday. She said that she had a light cold. I told her to give it a day or so and then we can take it from there,” Van Heerden told Rekord.
One of the sisters in the retirement village visited Van der Merwe on Thursday to check up on her.
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“The sister phoned me afterwards and said she ‘noticed warning signs’.
“She said we must especially be careful at her age and that it will be best to go for a blood test just to make sure if it is normal flu symptoms or if she indeed has the virus,” he said.
“I visited them about two weeks ago and it is terrible not being able to go and visit her. I spoke to her over the phone this morning (Monday) and she said she feels sick.”
“Her oxygen levels look well and are checked three times a day.”
He said that his outlook on the coronavirus had completely changed since someone close to him tested positive.
“I was one of those who insisted the economy to open up and to lift the ban of alcohol sales,” he said.
“At the beginning, it was just numbers. Now, names have become known to us. It’s getting closer and closer by the minute.”
If there is one thing that will stick in Van Heerden’s memory of his mother, it’s the meaning of the word empathy.
“She taught us the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. We will focus on the now and take it step by step. We will have to find a way to fight this ‘war’ together.”
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Van Heerden (47) and his older brother Mardo (48) both reside in Irene, Centurion.
“My brother was just as shocked as I was when I shared the news about our mother.”
The family thanks everyone for their messages and calls of hope and motivation. Van Heerden is the host of the Afrikaans chat programme on kykNET, Liefde sonder grense.
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