A tribute to a friend

Those of us who suffer from AS form a unique group. There are many places on the web that provide support to one another, and in which we are fortunate enough to meet others who've been diagnosed with this disease.

One of the biggest is KickAS . While on that site, anyone who dared to bring up God, their faith, or include their faith in their posts would be pounced upon by non-believers who would make it very difficult to share openly there. It turned out that it was OK to wish "white light" and "gentle hugs" and "supernatural healing" to someone, but to share your belief that God can heal, or that prayer makes a difference would immediately result in scorn, mocking, and blatant disrespect. So, a man named Wynand from South Africa - known to all of us as "SonnyZA" started a new site in which those with AS who were born again Christians could come and share their experiences with AS from a spiritual point of view. What a wonderful retreat it turned out to be.

This is Sonny. His AS was of a sort that was very aggressive and very painful. On his website he tells of how he was normally bed-ridden, and was so fragile that once while riding in a car with his brother-in-law, they struck a pot-hole which ended up breaking two vertibra in his back! Needless to say, Sonny was so much worse off than those people he blessed and supported on GodKicksAS.

I remember many times when I was struggling that Sonny would send me a short email full of encouragement and support. Sonny blessed me so much. He spoke often of his faith in God and how he looked forward to the day when he would be able to prance and frolic like the calf mentioned in the bible. He was always looking out for those of us who frequented GodKicksAS, and making sure that the website was there for us - there for when we desperately needed love and support of other Christians who suffered along with Sonny.

Sonny died the other day. I found out about it by visiting GodKicksAS. There was a simple little entry sharing the sad news that Sonny had preceded us all in death. The responses that followed were full of grief and pain - and envy. We all envy Sonny right now. He's free from pain, able to leap and run, and resting in the presence of Jesus Christ.

Sonny was married to Sonette. Sonny relates on his website that when this picture taken, he hadn't eaten for two days, had been taking powerful pain medications for days and was propped up on crutches when this picture was taken. He felt that it was important to give Sonette a real wedding. The only other option was to be married in his room, while lying in bed. Instead, he made the sacrifice of his body and didn't eat to ensure he wouldn't vomit, and took enough pain medication to enable him to stand for his wedding. That inspires me.

He said the pain during his wedding was incredible, but so worth it. I read the account of how Sonette and Sonny met and it makes my heart warm. Here is a woman, not unlike Chris, who has chosen to bless her husband by taking care of them through better and worse, sickness and health.

They lived in South Africa in a Northern Povince by a place called Warmbaths - Well, Sonette still lives there... But it was on land that Sonny purchased after he served in the South African military. He opened his home to his mother and his brother, who lived with them. His sister lived close by on adjoining land. Family was obviously important to him.

Sonette made a beautiful bride. Sunflowers and love. They were both in love with the Lord, and had both served as missionaries and participated in groups whose aim it was to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world. Now she is left to carry on alone - without Sonny - Wynand.

I don't know the details of his death. I only know that it was related to AS somehow. Sonny will be missed by all who knew him. I only met him "virtually" online. But in the short time that I knew him, I was blessed, encouraged, and sustained through some hard times.

It's always hard to understand why those who do so much good are taken away from us. Sonny was a tremendous contributor to the joy in other people's lives. He made a great place where we could gather together and share our experiences with AS and relate how our faith has made a difference. It turned out that GodKicksAS was much more than just a message board. Life long friends have been made, and the support there is unparalleled. Sonny's legacy lives on.

Wynand "SonnyZA" Rossouw
1970 - 2006
Gone but not forgotten

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UPDATE: Many people wanted to know the exact cause of Sonny's death. This was recently published on KickAS: "Regarding the cause, he had fused ribs, that caused serious problems with both the heart and the lungs from time to time, due to congestion. This time around, he developed serious lung problem and was struggling to breathe in his last few days. Though they tried everything, all attempts to restore normal breathing failed. This was the immediate cause, though he had many other issues."