The long-lost Eerste River woman who was miraculously reunited with her family after 24 years has sadly passed away after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
The hartseer sister of Jeanette van der Horst says she had just over a week to catch up with her before she died in Tygerberg Hospital last week.
Jeannette, 54, made headlines two weeks ago when she was found by a team from The Pink Ladies Missing Persons Organisation after her family had been searching for more than two decades.
At the time, Pink Ladies representative, Nadiema Salie, explained they were called to Elsies River Police Station to help locate the family of Jeannette who had been found roaming the streets.
They noticed she had a large growth on her neck which made it difficult for her to speak.
A missing persons flyer was later released and she was recognised by her niece Samantha Lottering and reunited with her family.
Her older sister Magrieta Lottering, 61, says they were very concerned about the growth on Jeannette’s neck.
“We took her the very next day to the day hospital here in Eerste River and we got a referral letter for Tygerberg Hospital.
“We were very happy that she came home and we had so many questions, but at that point the most important thing to do was get her medical attention.
“Last Thursday we had a date to see a doctor. We arrived and they assessed her and told us the growth was definitely cancerous and that it was already Stage 4. While they were still attending to her, she just passed away peacefully. I was so heartbroken.”
Magrieta says she was dumbstruck but felt at peace that her sister was reunited with her family before she died.
“We looked for her for so long but I think after the death of her son, Craig, she was never the same again. He had a birth defect on his head and he survived for six years before he died.”
She says Jeannette did not speak much about her missing years.
“I kept telling her, all the years you know where my house was, why didn’t you just come home and be a mother to your other children?
“But at the end of the day we are happy that she was found and that she was able to be reunited with us before she died. If this had happened and she was still missing, we may never have even known that she was dead.”
The family is now appealing for help to lay Jeannette to rest.
Magrieta says: “We never planned for this because for years we didn’t even know where she was or that she was sick. We are appealing for any help just to get her in the ground and to say our final goodbyes.”