Her name is Elmarie Anderson and she is a pretty spectacular woman! She has been a foster mom to over 40 abandoned children, and has fallen in love with each one as if they were her own For over ten years, this extraordinary woman has sacrificed personal comfort, financial security, and career aspirations to be an emergency foster mother.

Despite dealing with thousands of dirty nappies, medical bills, a broken washing machine, a clapped-out car, and assisting numerous social workers, as well as all the responsibilities that come with ‘normal’ parenting, the calling on Elmarie’s life is clear.

“When she speaks about her babies, the whole world seems to be a better place. It’s almost comforting to know that she exists in the world.”

On August 29, 2013, a tiny baby boy was born prematurely to a drug-addicted mother in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Port Elizabeth. The child’s grandmother immediately called the police and social workers to remove him as she was already overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for two other grandchildren. When the social worker arrived, the 2,1kg infant was lying naked and alone on a couch, still attached to his placenta.

After spending six days alone in an incubator in ICU, he was handed over to Elmarie.

Wrapping him up in a sling, and cradling him against her chest, Elmarie thought that this would be just another routine emergency foster situation.

After four months, social workers hadn’t managed to find permanent foster parents for Joshua, and he remained in Elmarie’s care. She took him to all the regular, routine clinic appointments, and although he was underweight, they did not pick up that anything serious was amiss.

After a concern was raised by Elmarie’s brother about the way the child was breathing, Elmarie took the baby to a paediatrician. An echo was done and to the horror of all the medical staff in attendance, it was discovered that the four-month-old baby had half a functioning heart, and his oxygen levels were below 40%.

“In fact, they did not know how Joshua had survived up to that point.”

After a month of appointments & tests, it was clear that they needed to take this further & he was sent straight to the cath-lab where he underwent major heart surgery at just five months old.

“I didn’t know whether to scream, cry or vomit,” recalls Elmarie. “I opted for staying calm and dealing with what is.”

A team of doctors spent hours attaching one of his main veins directly to his lungs. According to doctors, this ‘fix’ would suffice for a few months until his body grew bigger and demanded more oxygenated blood flow. He would then require further surgery.

“I was told he may not survive the operation and that he would have brain damage,” says Elmarie.

“He had been functioning on less than 40% oxygen for five months. After the operation, I also noticed that his foot was blue and cold. Due to the low oxygen levels in his body, and the trauma of the operation, he nearly lost his leg too! But he managed to pull through.”

Two-and-a-half years later, little Joshua has grown into a pint sized toddler with the personality of a world class entertainer. He touches the hearts of all who meet him with his determination and zest for life. Despite what doctors predicted, he doesn’t have any brain damage, and has kept up cognitively with other children his age.

Without Elmarie’s complete devotion, Joshua would not have survived past his first few months. And he is not alone. Elmarie has changed the lives of over 40 babies and is dedicated to raising Joshua as her own son, to become all that he can be. Due to his congenital heart defect, this “unadaptable” little boy has become a permanent fixture in Elmarie’s family. She has stood by him through thick and thin while raising her own biological children as well as raising her now five-year-old grandchild.

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Cred: Claire Warneke & All4Women