Friendships

Struggling to make friends in the community

My grandmother asked my mom to take me to boarding school so that I am safe and protected from the community.  This meant that I would spend about three months away from home.  The community knows me but I hardly know anyone at home, this hurts because I am a social person.  It became challenging to make friends at home and integrate into the community.  My friends at home were my cousins.  I got to make other friends at university and at the workplace.

Words from Tracy

"I met Thandi in January 1999 when she came to Prinshof School.  She walked boldly or rather should I say she skipped up to me, gave me a hug and told me we will be friends forever.  And that we have been since that day.  We have stood by each other through everything, good and bad.  We are truly soul sisters.  I know I can call her in the middle of the night and she will stop everything for me and the other way around.  Our bond is so strong that the Holy Spirit won't leave me alone until I reach out to her.  Thandi has a heart of gold and the ability to love without boundaries.  

My fondest or should I say our fondest childhood memory is sitting in my room in Jakaranda Hostel sharing a packet of BM biscuits that my mom had packed for us for that week.  

The future still has a lot for us especially watching Reece (our son) grow up and us as his guidance, he is bound to never have a dull moment in his life".

Words from Lethabo 

"Meeting Thandi at work was a truly enriching blessing. Getting to know this remarkable person living with albinism not only broadened my perspective but also played a part in my personal healing journey. Thandi is a breath of warmth and energy – loud, helpful, and radiating confidence. Her uniqueness was palpable and inspiring, showcasing a strength unhindered by anything. Despite our contrasting personalities, mine quiet and shy, hers loud and bubbly, we found a great balance. 

In friendship, Thandi is fully present and nurturing. She finds joy in lending a helping hand, even when it's not always received as she'd hope. Observing this helped me reciprocate the same love, energy, and kindness she gives her friends. Thandi knows how to hold her friends' hands through trouble and through joy.  A lot can be said about this beautiful gentle giant". 

Message to Tracey and Lethabo

When I met the both of you, it was love at first sight.  I am grateful everyday that God allowed us to meet.  Thank you so much for sisterhood and for holding me through all these years.  I love you girls everyday.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar

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A Second Chance To Life - Part 3

 

After Effects 

I couldn't fall asleep because as I closed my eyes every night the scene kept on replaying itself. I would literally hear the smashing of glasses to a point that if a glass broke in my hands I would start crying. Lack of sleep resulted into fatigue as I struggled to sleep for over a month.  I then began my healing journey with a therapist.

Harassment From The Couple 

Few days later I received the first call from the wife asking me to surrender to my insurance company so that they can assist them with fixing their car as their insurance cover fell off because they missed a few payments. 

My response was I don't know how you two as a couple advised each other that it's ok not to have an insurance cover for your car, I am lying here with nightmares every night because of your actions.

I received a second call from the husband threatening me that they know where I live, if I don't assist they will wait for me at my gate. I told him to do whatever he wants with his wife and their threats are very shallow. Honestly I was very scared as I hung up.

Peace Of Mind

I phoned the consultant who was handling my claim, she calmed me down and assured me that the Legal Department will deal with the issue and the couple will not call me anymore. Indeed that was the  last call I received from that couple. Peace of mind and rest started sinking in. 

My claim got settled and I got blessed with new wheels.

Please read A Second Chance To Life Part 1 CLICK HERE and Part 2 CLICK HERE on these links.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar

A Second Chance To Life - Part 2

 

I Am Right Behind You Sis

I heard a knock on my window out of a sudden! I am locked in and cannot do anything.  This happened to be my younger sister who followed me without my knowledge. Aah the grace of God is sufficient for all of us. 

It still beats me how breakdown trucks instantly arrive at the accident scene, sometimes it feels like they have been waiting for it to happen.

Blue Lights And Red Lights

The police and the ambulance arrived few minutes apart. Swimming in a lot of confusion, I just said to my younger sister please take care of my limited edition yellow  Adidas running shoes because the  car boot was filled with shoes.

They loaded me into the ambulance and asked me to try and breathe. At some point they asked me to  narrate the story and tears were just running down my face.  We got to the hospital for further screening and body checks. I got released the following morning as I had minor injuries.

Endless Phone Calls

A lot of people called to ask if I had anything to drink (alcohol) prior my trip and why did I drive in the evening because of my eye condition click here? This was very painful to take in because why would I consume  alcohol knowing that I am going to drive and I am very careful person.  Adding to that I thought there is no set time for an accident to happen.  I stopped talking to those people for my mental health.  

From that evening I couldn't fall asleep because the accident scene kept on playing over and over in my mind.  I then made a decision to seek professional help.

Please stay tuned for Part 3. 

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar

A Second Chance To Life - Part 1

17 April 2014

It's my birthday right! And yes I am a celebratory person, I bought the biggest cake and invited everyone on Floor 26 for a slice. The atmosphere was filled with joy and warmth as I wished for it. After cake sharing we all left the office as my birthday fell on to a long weekend and we usually got the afternoon off to allow employees to travel home and to spend quality time with their families.

Plans For The Weekend Baby!

In the morning I had a chat with another friend to check if we could travel together and that plan did not materialize.

I drove home to drop off stuff as this was enroute to my destination and also gave my younger sister money to buy my nephew a cake since we are twins.  I left home and continued with my journey, looking forward to an exciting weekend ahead since this trip was planned months ago. 

Sudden Turn Of Events

As I drove somewhere in the bushes, singing along to Robin Thike because I am a big fan of his music I got involved in a car accident. All happened too fast, at that point all I saw was a flash of a very bright light in my eyes.  This was accompanied by a hot clap from the airbag. What echoed in my mind were conversations we always hear from our male friends on how to swerve the car dunning an accident, unfortunately this could not happen.

I remember praying to the Lord, I said "Father if it's your time may your will be done. If I am getting another chance to life, may I please walk out of this with less injuries that will not take forever to heal".  I reached out for my cellphone to call my older sister to inform her about the accident.  She just started praying while I cried so hard from my end.  I heard somebody knocking on my window and trying to open the door.  This was my younger sister who followed me and I was not aware.

Please stay tuned for Part 2.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar

Feedback Time

 

                               

How I Met Alfred

Alfred joined our department in 2014.  He has a very bubbly personality which made it easier for him and I to connect.  I would ask for his assistance when I needed an extra colleague to assist with one of my work deliverables.  The more we spoke,  the more I got to realize that we both love education and he would always encourage me as a black woman to study further.

Feedback On Learnings 

Since I started blogging in March 2024, Alfred and I would interact on my published blogposts and he would ask for further information in pursuit to understand albinism.  On one of our interactions, I asked him how he found the information and below are the key things he provided feedback on:

1. "Hey Thandi, the blogs have taught me a lot about challenges people with  albinism go through. 
2. I never knew the reason why you would use a large font as a lot of us have been sending you emails with small fonts without understanding your eyesight challenges. I am happy I worked very close to you and through reading I learned about your reason for moving from Alberton to Pretoria for you to find a coping mechanism for your eyes and that there should be balance in your life as well as work activities.  Your resilience at the workplace has shown me that you are mentally strong as no challenge kept you down. 
3. I have learned about your academic challenges but you still pulled through.
4. I watched the movie "Can you see us" with my boys and I could discuss albinism with them. Rorisang even asked why are people so rude and discriminating against a child of God. 
5. I give thanks to your mentor for the support and guidance she gave you through this journey as I have found the blogs to be very informative and didn't seek pity or show you were a victim but a Survivor".
   

Note To Alfred

Dear Alfred, thank you so much for the loud laughter you always blessed us with on Floor 26. Thank you for giving me hugs and literally picking me up.  Thank you for keeping in touch although you have left our organization.   I wish you prosperity in your new career chapter.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar

My Mentorship Journey

Mentoring Sessions

I enrolled with Mrs. Ntombi Malatsi on one of her mentorship programs.  The sessions were awesome because she accommodated me with regards to my short sight especially when I struggled to see other colors, graphs and small fonts.  Our sessions were very personal to me, time and again I would deviate and talk about everything.  

One day she asked if I would be keen to share my life experiences through blogging as she picked up that I faced a lot of challenges at the workplace and that people will learn and understand the dynamics of albinism and how to treat people living with albinism.  

I said yes to the learning opportunity because I enjoy writing and knew that through the blogposts I will educate other people.  The blogging has brought a lot of emotional healing within me and it has also opened an opportunity for me to offer advise and guidance to parents and other people living with albinism.

Feedback from Ntombi 

Ntombi sent a voice note (voice notes are the order of her day) to provide feedback on what she has learned with regards to my albinism experiences as follows:

1. "I learned how to use the correct term for people with albinism instead of calling them albinos.
2. I know that there are eyesight challenges because you would request to zoom your screen in our mentoring sessions.  Further to this I thought that we can all go to an optometrist and get prescription spectacles as I am short sighted too.  I got to understand the depth of your eye sight issues.
3. I didn't know that albinism is classified as a disability.
4. I become sad most of the times when I read your blogposts especially the social spaces posts.  I always wondered why I never came across a person with albinism at the gym, now I understand that you went through a lot of staring which resulted into you withdrawing from the gym.  Another incident that hurt me was when you were chased out of the taxi because you have albinism.
5. I am so glad that you are a very optimistic and courageous person and that you have opened yourself up to us and never allowed your daily challenges to stop you from what you want in life.  This allows us to feel free and have all crazy conversations with you.
6. I now know better and how to relate and treat people with albinism through your life experiences."

Message to Ntombi

My dearest gorgeous mentor, thank you so much for being such a great support structure in my life and my personal growth.  My life has changed for the better in the short period since I joined you.  I truly appreciate you.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar

Meet Baby Lwazi

Technology Made It Possible

My journey in blogging began in March 2024.  After publishing I would share the blogposts on other social media platforms.  Some Sunday morning I received an inbox from Thuli Baloyi.  The message was to enquire more about albinism because baby Lwazi lives with albinism.  This warmed my heart as the intention was to raise more awareness and my blogposts did just that. 

Thuli's Journey 

"My journey in the world of albinism began on the 31st of January 2024. It was the happiest day of my life when my son was born, yet it was the scariest when it was brought to my attention that he was living with albinism.

I was in complete shock! I had too many questions without answers. This varied from the uncertainty of how I was going to deal with his condition, how his father was really feeling about it, how family will receive him and the community in general. Honestly; I was petrified!

This is my first close encounter with albinism so I had no information about it at all so you can imagine my fears.  Lack of knowledge about the whole situation made me very uncomfortable since I was in an enchanted land.

I searched online to find out more about albinism, what it is and what it means. I did not find much information moreover it wasn't information that I could interact with."

Finding Aunty Thandi

"One fateful day while scrolling through social media, I came across Lebo Grass post about this lady with albinism and encouraged people to follow her blog. I jumped at the opportunity and lo and behold! I had found my holy grail.

From following the blog, I have come to understand my son's skin condition better. I know the importance of keeping him hydrated and using sunscreen. Before the blogposts, I didn't even know about after sun lotion or gel.

I understand that my child will encounter vision challenges, so I have already started giving him proper care by visiting an ophthalmologist. I have also learned how to properly dress him to protect him from the sun.  Most importantly, I have learned to accept that my son is not different from my other children."

Note From  Aunty Thandi To Baby Lwazi

Dear baby Lwazi.  It is indeed a great time to be alive because albinism is no longer a subject discussed behind closed doors.  I believe that mom and dad have all the tools and means to care for you, including available information and Aunty Thandi on text/call for support.  I know that you are going to prosper in life.  I wish you well and I love you my boy.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar