Relief at last for Cape mom after ‘lost baby’ drama
Divorce and cancer battle for mother who lost child 18 years ago
FATHER: Morné Nurse outside the Cape Town High Court on Friday CERVICAL cancer is any woman’s nightmare. Imagine having to endure a divorce, chemotherapy, finding the baby you lost 18 years ago and moving back into your parents’ home with your children.
In less than two years, Celeste Nurse has had to endure all this hardship. But the suffering has reached its sell-by date.
Not only has Celeste found new love, but her bond with Zephany — stolen out of her arms while she lay asleep in Groote Schuur Hospital in 1997 — is growing stronger.
On Friday, the woman accused of abducting Zephany appeared in the High Court in Cape Town. But Celeste was hard at work barely a kilometre away to support her family. In her place was the woman she calls the pillar in her life — her mother, Marilyn Francis. GRANDMOTHER: Marilyn Francis outside court on Friday BIOLOGICAL MOTHER: Celeste Nurse, middle, at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court in March
Zephany’s reunion with her biological parents in February this year made international headlines. In January, Celeste and Morné Nurse’s younger daughter enrolled at the same high school Zephany attends. When they met, they were struck by their physical resemblance. Soon pieces of the puzzle fell into place and the police were notified.
The woman Zephany thought was her mother was arrested and charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening sections of the Children’s Act.
The woman cannot be named to protect the identify of Zephany, who has gone by another name since being “stolen”.
Last year, Celeste, who was 18 when she had Zephany, was diagnosed with cancer, before she separated from Morné. In December, Francis took Celeste and her children in and began caring for Celeste, who is now in remission.
“It was stressful for her, it was mad. There was the illness, working and caring for the kids,” said Francis.
This month the accused told You magazine that she had not stolen Zephany — the baby, she said, had been given to her by a woman because the infant’s mother had not wanted her.
She also admitted she had struggled to love the girl for the first 10 years.
The article upset Celeste terribly. Zephany had grown close to Celeste and her three siblings, so much so that she often slept over.
She wanted to know everything about her biological family — whether her grandmother plaited her mother’s hair as a child, where she got her talent for singing from and “how much in love her parents were”.
But the You article prompted Zephany to confront Celeste.
“Zephany asked Celeste if this was true — if she didn’t want her. Celeste was very upset and told Zephany: ‘I would never give my children away. I would rather struggle’, ” said Francis.
Luckily the article failed to cause a rift between Celeste and Zephany. Now she is excited for her mother, who got engaged to Justin Smith in August.
“Justin came at the right time. He was sent like an angel to support her. Justin and the kids often pray together,” Francis said.
“For Zephany’s matric farewell, Celeste, Morné, myself and Justin paid for her dress. Celeste took her to the hairdresser, she coloured her hair and had her makeup done. She looked beautiful.”
On Thursday, the accused was admitted to Groote Schuur when her blood pressure reached dangerous levels. Her attorney, Reaz Khan, confirmed that she was discharged the same evening.
He said she would only accept DNA evidence that confirmed Zephany is Nurse’s daughter.
“They did some scans and tests and she went back [to hospital] today,” said Khan.
The interview the accused gave to You could come back to haunt her when the trial starts.
William da Grass, a criminal law expert, said: “If the prosecutor gets hold of that magazine it could create problems for her under cross-examination. That will also depend on whether the judge will take judicial notice of the publication. Usually they are prepared to take judicial note of newspapers and other reputable sources.”
The state has submitted a witness list of 30 people. The trial has been set down from February 22 to March 10 next year.