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I live in Doonside near Amanzimtoti, south of
Durban. My name is Carine Hitchcock (Neé Beneke).
I would like to tell you about my childhood. My
mother was a twin and at 7 months old her twin
sister died. My mother’s name was Rina. Rina
married her first husband and they had lost 6
children. Rina`s husband committed suicide by car
gas. She then married Hennie, her second husband.
They lost 2 children again. Rina never gave up. At
last she got pregnant again. She was 36 years old
when I was born.
From the medical report: “Very
significant circumstances attend Carine’s birth.
This was her mother’s ninth pregnancy; 5
miscarried before the fourth month and a further 3
were stillborn at 8 to 8½ months. Mother is a
controlled diabetic. During this pregnancy, she
haemorrhaged at 2 months and entered labour 8
weeks prematurely. Placenta praevia necessitated a
caesarean delivery and Carine was born 3 lb. 5
oz. She was extremely weak, suffered severe
jaundice twice and had a complete blood
transfusion. She was incubated for 41 days.
Sucking was very poor and she barely fed enough to
stay alive (e.g. she took 1 - 1½ hours to ingest 3
oz of milk). Carine’s development milestones were
late: she sat unsupported only at 11 months,
crawled at 13 months and walk at 20. At 7 months,
she was given a 3 in 1 vaccination and development
a fever of 104ºF. According to her mother, she
became silent after that. Carine had frequent
upper respiratory infections until the age of 7
years, always accompanied by high temperatures.
Her tonsils and adenoids were removed at 4½ years
of her life was in the care of paediatricians,
first in Durban ( Dr Edge ), then in Pretoria (Dr
Erasmus). As a toddler, she was very active and
she was prescribed Valium 2 mg from her age of 15
months to 3 years. Neurological impairment was
picked up in Carine from an early age, with left –
side motor problems being the most prominent.
In 1971, she was referred to
the Open Air School in Durban with hearing problem
and cerebral palsy. She was not admitted there. In
1972, Carine was assessed fully by a paediatrician
in Pretoria. She had low weight (well below the 5th
percentile) and head circumference, demonstrated
athetoid jerking, was generally ataxic with
associated movements. And no speech. He diagnosed
brain injury, with cerebella signs, and auditory
imprecation.”
In 1972 July I was admitted to
Fulton School for the Deaf until I left school in
1987. During the school years I was with Michael
since 1983. Michael always cared for me. Michael
commented: “Carine is a miracle from God. A pastor
prayed over her when she was a baby. Carine was 18
years old when she was prayed over by Jimmy
Swaggart for the healing of cerebral palsy. God
healed her and she became strong. Praise the
Lord!”
I received Jesus Christ as my
Saviour and Lord at Adriaan (D) & Marleine (HoH)
van Eck’s home in Durban when I was 16 years old.
A few years later in 1991 my mother shot herself.
I was 22 years old. In 1999 my father died from
heart clot. I was 30 years old. I had no parents,
making my life difficult.
Due to depression I could not
eat breakfast and lunch but ate a little food for
supper. A few months later in church I collapsed
and was taken to a doctor for a blood test, which
found no salt. The doctor gave me vitamin tablets.
I had sleepless night every night and as a result
I went to another doctor who prescribed the
sleeping pills. I often used different pills for
2½ years to try help me sleep. I was in hospital
for 2 weeks and again for another week. When I
consulted a psychiatrist about my struggle with
sleepless nights and depression, he gave me 30
different pills within 2 weeks. My room looked
like a jail. Nobody visited me except Michael.
Once the psychiatrist gave me hell because of the
wrong pills. I had a (drug-effected) vision - ants
were swarming everywhere and even crawled on a
drip tube.
Another doctor gave me the
other pills called Xanor (stronger pills) and
sleeping pills for further 2½ years. I could chew
pills without drinking water and took 2 to 4 pills
per day but the sleeping pills were the worst. My
life was hell but God kept me alive. One year
later I had enough and wanted to know how to get
out of my terrible addiction to the pills. Michael
and I went to the doctor to help me stop taking
the pills. I lost weight because of an overdose of
drugs.
The doctor told me that I
should go to the Annex and stay there for a while.
I met different people there and the people also
had problems from depression, excessive smoking,
divorce, alcohol,  mental
disorder / disturbance. One man shared with me
about the Word of God. He taught me about the
deliverance from the bondage with the power of
God. It was wonderful. There were very nice people
who communicated with me and we understood each
other. A new psychiatrist prescribed the right
pills (not drugs). From this I improved a lot.
Thank God for helping me.
Thank
God for the wisdom He gave to the doctor. I am now
much better than before and much stronger in the
Lord Jesus now. If you have any problem with
depression like I had, please contact me and I
will be happy to help you. My advice to those who
are contemplating of (thinking about) taking pills
/ drugs, DO NOT DO THIS PLEASE. Taking drugs will
NEVER MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER! Keep your trust in
God.”
My warning to you all, “Please, you must NEVER
take any pills to help you sleep which can result
in getting hooked.”
By Carine Hitchcock (D) |
