Miané Ainslie (12), a near-drowning survivor known throughout the country, especially on the South Coast, died on June 7. This comes just months after the death of her mother Claudette.

Miané lived with Claudette in Ifafa, and a few years ago they moved to Amanzimtoti.

After her 2015 near-drowning incident in Witbank, Miané was diagnosed with microcephalic spasticity quadriplegic cerebral palsy with global development delay, intellectual disability, pseudobulbar palsy, epilepsy, cortical visual impairment and obstructive sleep apnoea. She also had dislocated hips and scoliosis kyphosis of the thoracic spine.

Claudette regularly brought Miané to Scottburgh for some of her treatments, and would often reach out to the local newspapers to thank communities for their ongoing support.

The duo had many local supporters, who were all devastated to learn via Miané’s fundraising and updates page online, that Claudette had died in August last year.

Miané was then taken care of by family members. Unfortunately her journey came to an end this month when she had difficulty with oxygen intake.

The South Coast Herald and other local media houses often shared Miané’s story, and assisted with publishing fundraising articles for her medical needs.

Her death has left many locals and social media users devastated, but with hope that she is once again reunited with her mother.

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