Couple share tragic story after losing their eight-year-old son to cancer

SECUNDA – Ms Lauren Beets and her husband, Lee, have been on a tough and difficult journey when their son, Christopher (8), died nine years ago because of cancer.

The couple speaks openly about their child’s death and often share their testimony with others who are going through a difficult time.

“Despite all the heart ache and missing our boy, we still believe God is good,” said Ms Beets.

The couple moved from Ngodwana, a village about 50km from Nelspruit, after their son’s death to begin over.

Ms Beets was a nursery school teacher in Ngodwana, but now works at the Lighthouse Church on a full-time basis and often preaches, especially at women’s events.

Christopher had an injury in his eye and the eye kept on swelling.

The couple took him to several doctors, but nobody could diagnose him correctly.

They finally ended up at a doctor in Gauteng who referred them to an oncologist, who diagnosed Christopher with Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer.

It is a type of cancer that targets the connective tissue and in Christopher’s case, it occurred above his eye.

“It is a very rare cancer and it occurs mostly among children between the ages of two and 10,” said Mr Beets.

Christopher was seven when he was diagnosed.

“When Christopher was diagnosed, they said it is stage 2 and that it is possible to survive it,” said Ms Beets.

“He went for chemotherapy and it did not work the first time, so he had to go for more intense sessions.

“The tumour then shrunk enough so that they could operate and remove it.

“Christopher underwent many operations on his eye and each time the doctor said he would remove the eye, but he did not.

“The next scan showed a huge tumour in Christopher’s brain and I was surprised at Christopher’s reaction when the doctor told him he had a huge tumour in his brain.

“He said: ‘I knew it, I felt it’.”

Christopher had to undergo brain surgery more than once.

When he had blackouts after the first brain operation, the couple received the news that the cancer had spread throughout Christopher’s brain and spine.

“The doctors stopped counting at 25 tumours in the brain,” said Mr Beets.

“In the last days, we prayed that if God was not going to heal him instanty, he must rather take him,” said Ms Beets.

“We did not want our son to be in pain any longer.

“The doctor said we had seven days to two weeks left with him and eight days later he was gone.”

Christopher was kept in the hospital for the last few days of his life as he was in a lot of pain.

“We decided to keep him comfortable in hospital.”

Christopher had a passion for Jesus and even prayed for people in hospital to get healed, while he was sick himself.

“After he died, a woman spoke to us and said she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time and she struggled to hold on,” said Mr Beets.

“But Christopher prayed for her after he came out of radiation and she said that he encouraged her to keep on living.

“She said she was thinking if this little boy could be so positive after radiation, then I can also live through it.”

The couple still has contact with the woman.

One of the highlights of Christopher’s life a few weeks before he died, was when he was baptised.

“He asked us so many times that he wanted to get baptised, but we said no because of the treatment, as any infection could delay treatment, but the last time he begged us, we agreed.

“He was so happy after that and said he felt the love of God surrounding him.”

This young boy was not scared of dying.

The couple said even in hospital when the nurses asked him if he was afraid of dying, he said no because heaven will be much better than life on earth.

“There were so many miracles on his journey and although we still miss him very much, the one goal we had for his life, he fulfilled, and that was to have a passion for Jesus,” said Ms Beets.

“We still experienced the grace of God during this very difficult time in our lives.

“It is not easy to lose a child.

“Christopher is now absent in the body, but present with the Lord,” said Mr Beets.

The couple has a daughter, Trish (19) and she is currently studying art and design in Nelspruit.

Ms Beets now also runs a Bible school at church and likes to share her testimony at events.  Contact her at 083 955 3950.