Demi-Leigh and family remembers Franje

SEDGEFIELD NEWS - Sedgefield-native and former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, has sadly had to say goodbye to her younger sister Franje (13) who passed away on Saturday 4 May.

Franje was born with subtotal cerebellar agenesis; this means she was born without a cerebellum, which left all her motor functions impaired.

Franje was unable to walk, talk, or sit on her own and even her swallowing was affected, which meant she had a feeding tube inserted directly into her stomach.

Throughout her short life, Franje had also struggled with numerous infections and sicknesses.

Franje's diagnosis came four months after her birth, and as a major shock to the family as nothing had been picked up during the pregnancy. Franje's last valiant stand against the harsh cards life dealt her was in the days leading up to her passing, when she was taken to hospital on Tuesday 30 April and diagnosed with viral pneumonia.

She was placed on oxygen at the hospital, and spent the next four days fighting the infection. Her fight came to an end on Saturday 4 May at 13:35 when her body finally gave in to the infection that had left her bed-stricken since the Tuesday.

In a social media post on Sunday, Demi-Leigh said farewell to her sister, saying: "Our hearts are aching beyond measure but I am grateful knowing she's forever relieved of the pain she experienced on Earth".

The Peters family.