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My sister woke me from my sleep at 4AM in New York on Sunday morning with a phone call from Johannesburg. I was so shocked by what she said I wept after she had hung up. Then I rang my parents in the UK as I had been requested to do, to tell them what was happening. My sister’s eldest son K had been in a car crash, he had been cut from the wreckage and flown to hospital by air ambulance, the trauma specialists were working to stabilize his condition and scanning his brain for signs of brain damage. Two of K’s best friends were already dead.

Now on Monday It does appear that K will live and hopefully make a full recovery. But obviously it is still a worrying time for all of us. Especially for my Sister and Brother in Law. They really thought they had lost him when there appeared to be no record of him at any of the hospitals. He had arrived in Baragwanath – Soweto General, the biggest hospital in the world, as an unidentified male, so searches for him showed up nothing.

Such a horrifying experience for for any family.

But given the circumstances we are lucky, when I think of the families of the two dearly loved friends who have died, it makes me weep all over again.

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Cheers Jez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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PS ………. I made this photograph of K …… 5 years ago in England ……. under much happier circumstance.

PPS ……… I wrote this two weeks back but did not post it till now ……….. because only now have I finally managed to speak to K on Skype myself ………. so now I really do believe … because of the evidence of my own eyes …. that he is going to be fully OK. But of course the loss of his two wonderful friends remains desperately, desperately sad for him, and for all of us, but the pain and sadness of their parents and families I can only begin to imagine.

www.jezblog.com

[ 18 ] c omments
So v er y s ad. I’m s o s or r y to hear that news , I hope he is well s oon. My deepes t c
ondolenc es to the families of y our fr iends .
Kathy K @ Augus t 18, 2013, 3:15 am
T hank y ou for y our k ind wor ds :­ //// :­ ) ) ) ) ) ) Cheer s J ez XXXXXXXXX
jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 18, 2013, 12:51 pm
J ez , r eally s hoc k ed and s addened to r ead this . I hope that K has a full r ec ov er y and
is fly ing high again s oon. Life c an be s o fr agile…. Des per ately bad news for his fr iends
­ my hear t goes out to their families . T ak e c ar e, mate…
Stev eM @ Augus t 18, 2013, 5:03 am

Hey br o …… s uddenly it c an all be ov er …….. jus t s o s hoc k ing out of the blue
depends whic h tir e blows depends wher e y ou ar e s itting………… s o ar bitar y ev er y
thing is c hanged or nothing……… s o s ad s o s hoc k ing for us for K…… for their
families jus t totally hear t br eak ing…..

Cheer s J ez XXXXXXXXXXX
jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 18, 2013, 1:17 pm

May thos e who los t find peac e. I hope K’s r ec ov er y is fas t and full. I hav e a nephew that
I would hate to r ec eiv e s uc h a c all about.
J o Rus s elll @ Augus t 18, 2013, 6:00 am

eply ]Yes it mak es y ou think of all y our family how muc h they mean to y ou……… and it mak es me
des per ately s ad for thos e who hav e los t their c hildr en and br other s s o unex pec tedly
…….. jus t s o ter r ible…….. thank y ou for y our k ind thoughts :­ //////// :­ ) ) ) )

Cheer s J ez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 18, 2013, 1:21 pm
Sad news J ez , made wor s e when it’s about c hildr en…not s ur e what els e to s ay …glad y
our nephew’s getting better . Har v .! @ Augus t 18, 2013, 6:42 am

Yeah in the end we ar e s o luc k y . I feel s o s ad for the other families s uc h a ter r ible s
ad s hoc k ing thing to happen. Cheer s br o be s afe out ther e :­ / :­ )
J ez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 18, 2013, 1:24 pm

Not good news Mate..Hope ev er y one c opes with the tr agedy that has been thr own at them, G
ood news about K, I hope he c omes thr ough all the things he is going to hav e to deal with… Br
o, dont for get I` m her e if y ou need any thing done,at any time, any day ..Stay Safe J C x x x

PaulS @ Augus t 18, 2013, 8:48 am
Yes ……. he will mak e a fully py hs ic al r ec ov er y but this is a tr aumatic thing to hav e
liv ed thr ough alr ight…….. s o s ad to k now this s tuff as s uc h a y oung guy ……. I
hope he is able to c ome thr ough the mental anguis h of this without too muc h las ting effec t
too.

N and I wer e s peak ing about the fr iends funer als it was s o lik e the time ar ound the death
of our own br other M ……. that was s uc h a ter r ible time for us ….. it s till pr es s es
on my life ev en now 20 y ear s later ……. all of this br ought that time bac k for us ……
and giv es us a r eal empathy for the families of the fr iends …….

N …… She has had s ome tough things happen in SA….. life is liv ed with a v er y r eal s ens
e of danger alway s pr es ent…… s he has had to be s o s tr ong liv ing in SA ……. I s
ometimes wis h s he would mov e bac k to the UK s o s he c ould r elax a little……… but I gues
s tough s tuff c an happen any wher e :­ /////////

T hank s for y our k ind s uppor tiv e wor ds and k ind offer s Br o :­ ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) XXXXXXXXXXXX Cheer s s tay s afe y our s elf :­ ) ) )
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) J ez XXXXXXXXXXX
jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 18, 2013, 1:43 pm

What a tr agedy that the fr iends died. But it is amaz ing that y our nephew s ur v iv ed and will
mak e a full r ec ov er y . It is going to be har d for him to c ope with what has happened, but he
will c ome out a s tr onger per s on with a gr eat appr ec iation for life. And s o will y ou and
the whole family . Stay pos itiv e = ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Stac ey @ Augus t 19, 2013, 6:39 am
T hank s Stac ey ……… I think u r r ight :­ ) …….. Hopefully ……. and this s tuff is
way har d to c ope with……. s o s ad……… mak es u think of y our own family what they
mean to y ou ……… hope all is good hanging out in the UK :­ ) ) I s aw y our mom her e in
NYC :­
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 19, 2013, 9:35 am
Yea it is , es pec ially at s uc h a y oung age. But it will get better with time. It definitely
does , it is quite a wak e up c all.
Its gr eat! I lov e it her e! How is New Yor k ? Yea s he told me = ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

Stac ey @ Augus t 19, 2013, 1:15 pm
New Yor k is gr eat as ev er ……. thank fully not as hot as when u left :­ ) ) ar e u mos tly s
tay ing in Br ighton or going up to
London…….. I lik e Br ighton a lot ……. they hav e a photo fes tiv al ther e ……. I think
in September ? u s hould s tay till then :­
) ) ) ) ) ) ) …….. although I think y our mom will k ill y ou…….. hehehehe……… :­ ) )
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
Cheer s J ez XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 19, 2013, 1:29 pm
and me for ev en mentioning it hehehehe………. jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 19, 2013, 1:30 pm
I mos tly s tay in Br ighton, and als o v is it the s ur r ounding towns . But I go to London a lot
too. I lov e it ev er y wher e I go! I
jus t might s tay ;) ) ) ) ) ) for good!!!
Stac ey @ Augus t 20, 2013, 12:15 am

u jus t might be c r az y …… i think its ev en har der to mak e a liv ing in photogr aphy in
the UK than the US …….. but hey u s hould do what u feel is r ight :­ ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
…….. but s quar e it with y our mom fir s t :­ ) ) ) ) ) …….. hehehehe…….

Cheer s J ez XXXXXXXXXXX

jez blog :­ ) ) XXX @ Augus t 20, 2013, 1:35 am

oh y our poor par ents alr eady wor r ied about their c hildr en, to hav e this s hoc k . Mas s iv
e good wis hes fr om me to y ou all and for his s wift and c omplete r ec ov er y .
ann ody ne @ Augus t 26, 2013, 9:57 pm