When an elderly tourist from the Netherlands was about to fly home, the swelling in his hand couldn’t be ignored. After having to disembark, he found himself in a city full of strangers and completely reliant on the kindness of others. Thanks to two very special South Africans, he got all the help he needed!
Johannesburg, South Africa (06 March 2024) — What was meant to be a simple trip back to the Netherlands turned into a series of complicated events for one Abraham van Roijen, an elderly tourist in his late 80s, who was visiting South Africa, last December.
When it came time for his visit to end, Abraham started to notice that something wasn’t exactly right with his left hand.
Swollen and in pain, the elderly tourist figured that he would sort it out when he got back to the Netherlands. However, a doctor aboard his flight advised Abraham not to fly with a hand that swollen, and encouraged him to get off the plane.
Without family or friends anywhere near OR Tambo, Abraham became completely reliant on the kindness of South Africans. In the early hours of the morning as his plane flew overhead, Abraham checked into a hotel near the airport, but couldn’t sleep due to to the pain of his hand.
At the reception desk, he met the incredibly compassionate Jani Ligthelm, the hotel’s general manager. Jani kindly helped him contact a family member from her phone as his baggage, containing his phone, was still with the airline. With his niece, Mariska Spoonmaker, worried about the state of his hand and unable to do anything from the Eastern Cape, Abraham’s ‘first responders’ became Jani and Andrew Nkosizile Mtshali – a diligent taxi driver.
Abraham was determined to get on the next flight, so Jani made the choice to trust the elderly tourist, but only under the caring eyes of Andrew the taxi driver, who became something of a knight in shining armour for Abraham.
Andrew made sure Abraham got to the airport safely. When the airline counter turned out to be closed, he was the one to insist on taking Abraham to a medical centre in Kempton Park.
Andrew contacted Abraham’s son Bram to ensure Abraham could chat with his son during the hospital’s visiting hours. The situation with his hand turned out to be urgent, and without Andrew offering his phone and time, Abraham wouldn’t have been able to keep his family in the loop or sort out his medical insurance.
After two medical procedures were underway, Andrew even made sure Bram was updated throughout the process with photos.
Eventually, with Abraham finally on the road to recovery, Bram was able to fly in to assist his father. Andrew, of course, was waiting in the wings to unite them both and drove Bram from the airport to be with his dad during the scary time.
As it turned out, Abraham may have been bitten by a spider, which could’ve led to terrible consequences had Abraham’s new South African friends not stepped in to help. Several days later, the tourist made it back to the Netherlands, where doctors would look after him.
Freelance journalist and niece Mariska Spoonmaker shared this story of the small, but incredibly impactful kindness with Good Things Guy.
“I look back in gratitude at Jani and Andrew – two caring people who went way further than the extra mile to assist an 87-year-old in need. Everything could have gone so wrong. But it didn’t. Because two South Africans cared enough to help. Nkosi.”
Sources: Mariska Spoormaker
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