Delisile Gwala, my dream come true

Not that I'm supposed to have favorites, but if I were to Delisile would be my number one. She’s a pint sized little thing that was admitted into the Respite Unit just after I arrived in South Africa. I spent many months by her bedside watching her regain her strength and listening to her stories.

She is a mother of two and has the most positive outlook of anyone I have ever seen. She is battling HIV and TB and remains positive. Her laugh and the love that emanates from her is contagious. She is the reason I push through each day. She calls me her “icecream” because I am “white and sweet” and I call her my brownie because she is brown and delicious. She is my inspiration and my strength. She is my best friend in South Africa and my family.

The Oprah magazine did a story on the Dreams for Africa chair that 160 beaders produced. I have written about the chair in a previous post. Deli sat in the chair and shared with us her dream. She was highlighted in Oprah and the magazine came out today- just in time for her to read it at home healthy and stable!! I have never been so proud of someone in my life.
Let her story inspire you. Let her courage motivate you. Let her love fill you.

Deli in the Oprah Magazine


Her beautiful lay out


The print of her that my brother bought me for my birthday!!! Cause he is the absolute best!!!


Deli signing the print for me!!!


"Delisile Gwala, 32, is a domesitc worker and mother of two. Whe she arrived at the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust early this year, she was so ill she was admitted to the inpatient care unit. She was entranced by the chair, but too weak to even be lifted into it, so Claudia unhooked one of the wings for her to touch. Two months later, when the chair returned from the Design Indaba in Cape Town, Deli had recovered enough to sit in it -- and to dream again. 'I would like my daughters to have happy and healthy lives so they can be themselves. I want everyone to have their own happy ending!' "