Johannesburg - A distraught Shammy Rademeyer couldn’t keep her composure.
Her partner, Corrie le Grange, was laid to rest on Friday after succumbing to his illness.
Though she was being comforted by family and friends, the void she felt was almost unbearable.
Rademeyer had hoped that Le Grange would be coming back home after his stay at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Le Grange made headlines three weeks ago when six people, including his neighbours, had to be called in to help his family get him into a minibus from his Edenvale home.
For more than three months, Le Grange remained bedridden. They had to use ropes to haul him into the vehicle, because he weighed 450kg.
After several attempts, he was eventually wheeled to hospital on a gurney. A special bed had to be brought in to accommodate him.
Le Grange’s family were relieved when he was finally admitted to the hospital on July 1, and glad he would finally get the treatment he needed for his lung infection.
He was previously rejected from several private hospitals as his family could not pay an upfront amount of R100 000 to receive private health care.
He suffered from ascites, which is described as a condition caused when fluids build up in the abdomen and result in swelling.
Their hopes of his returning home were crushed when Le Grange died two weeks after being admitted to hospital.
On Friday, friends and family gathered for the memorial to pay their last respects to Le Grange at the Edenvale Community Centre.
Rademeyer could not hold back her tears. “We are still in great shock,” she said.