Pretoria – Having a twin that everyone compares you to might be irritating for some, but it’s that special relationship that got Shalene and Lariesa de Lange through their matric year.
The twins from Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria said they had been in the same class since primary school up to Grade 9 but were drawn even closer when Shalene was diagnosed with a chronic colon condition.
Shalene said that because of her ulcerative colitis she missed a lot of school in Grades 8, 9 and 10 as she had to be in hospital every three to four weeks.
Needing to be in hospital often meant I ended up missing 150 days of school. My sister came to my aid and helped me catch up with the work.”
“It really was a blessing that we were doing the same subjects. She helped me a lot and I can say without a doubt that I would not have passed without her,” said Shalene.
Check out our special Matric Results page
Lariesa said that while she felt responsible for helping her sister through her illness, not once did she feel like it was a burden.
“I love her but not once did I feel having to take her work was a burden. I’m not saying it was not hard, but we managed to push through despite it.”
The 18-year-old said another hurdle was put in their way as she had to have surgery for an ulcer which resulted in them both missing out on their Grade 10 final exams.
Grade 12 proved to be a much better year health-wise for the two.
“I went into remission last year after I managed to get medication that alleviated my disease which meant I could also attend school. We beat our illnesses together and we’re hoping to come out tops,” said Shalene.
The sisters said they were grateful they were both well enough to study together like normal and go out like other teenagers and were unfazed by the pressure to perform.
Lariesa said since they were little they had instilled in themselves a hard work ethic so matric was no different.
“We genuinely are of the belief that God was behind our progress this entire time,” Lariesa said.
Going forward Shalene said she was excited to see how they would do being on different campuses when they head to the University of Pretoria.
While Shalene will be pursuing her studies in occupational therapy, Lariesa will be studying towards a degree in BSC medical science.
“It’s nerve-racking and exciting to see how I’m going to manage without my shadow behind me because that is literally how it has felt this entire time,” she said.
The girls said the closer results time came the more nervous they were as they were aiming to score distinctions in all of their subjects.
Turns out they each achieved five distinctions.