{"id":20863,"date":"2025-11-05T11:48:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T09:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/lowveld\/?p=20863"},"modified":"2025-11-05T11:48:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T09:48:25","slug":"girl-next-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/lowveld\/blog\/2025\/11\/05\/girl-next-door\/","title":{"rendered":"Girl next door"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Candice van Zyl, life is a tapestry woven through with resilience, faith and family.<\/h4>\n

Laughingly describing herself as a Plain Jane, Candice is the epitome of an everyday, down-to-earth mum. Raised in the Lowveld as the youngest of three, Candice remembers long, golden afternoons spent playing in the streets with her brothers and neighbourhood friends. \u201cWe were outside all the time, playing cricket, swimming, riding bikes, only going home when the streetlights came on,\u201d she laughs. \u201cIt was a carefree childhood, full of family, laughter, and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Even then, she knew two things for sure: she wanted to help people, and she wanted to be a mum. After school, she left home to study occupational therapy at UCT, later completing her community service at Edenvale Hospital. Not long after, she married long-time family friend Justin, and together they built a life in Johannesburg. When their identical twin boys arrived, everything changed. A year later, they returned to the Lowveld, back to family, community, and the familiar warmth of home.<\/p>\n

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But behind Candice\u2019s calm smile was a quiet battle that few could see. For years, she had been living with pain, fatigue, and strange, shifting symptoms that no doctor could explain. \u201cI\u2019d seen so many doctors,\u201d she says softly. \u201cOne even told me there was nothing wrong with me, that I was just looking for attention. After a while, you start to wonder if maybe it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It wasn\u2019t. One morning, she nearly fell asleep at a red robot from sheer exhaustion. \u201cThat\u2019s when I knew something was really wrong, and that I had to do something about it,\u201d she says. A rheumatologist eventually gave her the answer: Candice was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes widespread pain, fatigue, and a variety of other symptoms. \u201cWhen I finally had a diagnosis, I felt both relieved and scared. Relieved to have a name for it, but I also felt a lot of anxiety about what the future would look like,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Over time, Candice learned that rest and self-awareness were not signs of weakness, but of wisdom. \u201cIt\u2019s not you that is unreliable, your health is,\u201d she says. \u201cYou need to intentionally make daily decisions that will positively affect your well-being. Worth mentioning is a notion called the Spoon Theory, a concept used by people with chronic health conditions to explain the limited energy they have each day. It\u2019s a metaphor that helps you plan and prepare, managing your energy in relation to the tasks you need to do. You have a set number of spoons – your energy – and each activity costs one. Once you\u2019ve used them up, that\u2019s it. You can\u2019t borrow from tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Her faith has always been her anchor, something she clung to even more tightly when she fell pregnant. Doctors had advised her to stabilise her condition before conceiving, but, as Candice puts it, \u201cGod had other plans. When I found out I was pregnant, I had to come off all my medication,\u201d she says. \u201cMy morning sickness was so bad it lasted all day. Justin jokingly said, \u2018I hope it\u2019s twins so you only have to be pregnant once.\u2019 We both laughed. Little did we know\u2026\u201d Candice smiles wryly.<\/p>\n

At 24 weeks, a scan revealed possible complications. \u201cThat\u2019s when everything changed,\u201d she says quietly. \u201cThe stress triggered a severe fibromyalgia flare-up that lasted until after the twins were born.\u201d The boys arrived early, at 33 weeks, and were whisked straight to the NICU. \u201cThose 42 days were the longest of my life,\u201d she remembers. \u201cEvery beep of a monitor made my heart stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The hardest moment came when baby Oliver was discharged two weeks before Jack. \u201cIt broke me,\u201d she admits. \u201cI wanted to be with both of them, but I couldn\u2019t. Jack had contracted Klebsiella, a hospital-acquired superbug, and was fighting for his life. Juggling this was really tough and wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the help of family and friends, especially my mum,\u201d says Candice. \u201cWhilst we had one healthy little boy at home, our other baby was still in isolation. Trying to be in two places at once was extremely taxing, especially with the worry of if and when our baby would be coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n

When both babies were finally home, joy and exhaustion collided. \u201cTwin parenthood is beautiful, but brutal,\u201d she says with a laugh. \u201cYou think that by buying two of everything you\u2019re prepared, but the truth is that there are two little humans wanting the exact same thing from you at the exact same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caring for the twins coupled with the lack of sleep and her condition soon caught up with Candice. \u201cFibromyalgia and newborn twins are not a good mix,\u201d she admits. \u201cSleep deprivation and stress make everything worse. We eventually hired a night nurse, and honestly, it saved us.\u201d Fortunately, Justin\u2019s support has been a lifeline. \u201cWe used to say that it was a lot less lonely at 2 am feeds, as we were both there, figuring things out together. He has always been a very hands-on father, which helped so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now, nine years later, the boys are thriving, active, talkative, full of life. \u201cThey love rugby and cricket,\u201d Candice says proudly. \u201cAnd I love being on the sidelines, cheering them on. Watching them grow into these incredible little humans\u2026 it\u2019s everything I ever dreamed of.\u201d
\nLiving with fibromyalgia continues to shape her days, but not her identity. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to let it define you, but it doesn\u2019t have to,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that courage isn\u2019t found in the absence of pain, it\u2019s in showing up anyway. And in keeping your faith, worshipping through the waiting. In choosing joy, even when it hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiles, her voice steady and sure. \u201cLiving with fibromyalgia and being a mum are a lot alike. Just when you think you\u2019ve figured it out, something changes. You learn to be grateful for the good days and to trust that the hard ones will pass. That\u2019s where the faith comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cover: Candice van Zyl.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photographer: Belinda Erasmus – Belle-Grace Photography<\/em><\/p>\n

Make-up: Melissa Minne – Melissa Minne Hair & Make-up Artistry<\/em><\/p>\n

Venue: Christies at 32 on Russell, Mbombela<\/em><\/p>\n

Dress: Lynmarie Griffioen Design<\/em><\/p>\n

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