I was born in Vryheid, KZN, but now I am a Nelspruiter in location and heart. I am Linda McKenzie and I love the Lord and love to meet and get to know His people as they come across my path. This is how I came across Elsie and her husband, Heinrich, two friendly faces that kindly directed me to the bathroom after a long drive to the Breast Care Centre of Excellence at Milpark.
The Lord led me to Prof Benn and her team through the discovery of a lump in my left breast, with the recommendation being an excision biopsy. My husband was away on business, so I had to go there alone, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and scared, but those two smiles immediately set me at ease.
We ended up in the same waiting room and Elsie shared her business card with me before moving off to meet with Prof Benn. When they came out, I could see that the news was not good, and God laid it on my heart to pray for her.
As I was led past Elsie into my own appointment with the Prof, I asked her name and knew that I would message her the next day. I did that, and as Elsie says, we made a new “breast friend” in each other. We’ve been chatting almost daily ever since.
I was heading back to Joburg a couple of weeks later, so Elsie and I made plans to see each other. I wanted to take her a gift and tried to find some small, but meaningful things, that are useful in your handbag while you’re waiting at endless medical appointments.
I bumped into Walter, and immediately knew from his bright pink colour (which is the same as that of the Breast Cancer Awareness logo), his flexibility and his broad, contagious smile, that he would make a good companion in the waiting room and would hopefully raise a smile in Elsie and Heinrich as they waited and waited during their countless medical appointments that lay ahead of them. I wrote her a card and introduced him to Elsie as “Waiting Room Walter”.
I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Elsie Potgieter. Born and bred on the East Rand in Johannesburg, my husband decided to “import” himself a wife from the “East” and I landed up in Skeerpoort, in the North West Province.
I am the youngest of three children. I was the unplanned one, the one my mother prayed for. The one which God decided to place on earth for a time such as this. The one, who, was scientifically not supposed to be here, but God had other plans.
I met Linda McKenzie on Sunday 17 September 2023. I was my usual outgoing self, wearing a flamingo shirt (inspired by God and sold on my website) at that appointment, with the words PINK FEATHERS® FOR GOD on the back. I even handed her my business card and then it was time to see Professor Benn again, to hear the results of the biopsy of the lump I have in my right breast.
That day I learnt that there is more to breast cancer than just breast cancer. You get different types of breast cancer. The one they identified in my body, was very rare and according to them rather aggressive…. I was 42 years old when I received this diagnosis.
But I am not here to tell you about my diagnosis. I am here to tell you how I met Walter. You see, after this day that I got the news, I prayed to God, asking Him to let the lady who I met the day before, contact me.
I cannot tell you why I prayed this. I just did. I just felt in my spirit that we had a connection of some sort. The moment I made eye contact with her as she was coming up the stairs, I just knew that we would connect as friends.
Linda contacted me the next day via Whatsapp. We were on our way to see the oncologyst that Prof Benn referred us to. Little did we know that these doctors and professors’ waiting rooms, would be a waiting game, sometimes waiting for up to 2 hours (or longer) to see them.
We had an opportunity to see Linda again shortly after meeting the first time. We met in a parking lot at North Gate shopping centre, that was the closest most central point between us and her. We spent about 10 minutes together, chatting, exchanging gifts.
Inside the gift bag was a card from Linda as well as Walter together with a few other goodies. I smiled when I saw Walter and what Linda said about him. It was even more significant because of his colour, because Pink is the ribbon colour for breast cancer.
I took Walter out of his packaging, placing him inside my handbag for future reference. He was travelling in my bag for a while, taken out every now and then. Silently and patiently, he was waiting his turn to look me in the eye, to give me reassurance that everything will be ok.
I took Walter with to my first chemo treatment, which was scary by the way, as you just don’t know what to expect! He gave me some assurance and with praise and worship music playing in my ears, I drifted off to sleep while receiving the chemo.
That week after receiving the chemo, I decided to place him in my basket of meds (there are a lot for almost any and every ailment you can think of). When I looked at him, I felt God stir in my spirit that Walter must be used for the greater good somehow. I was not sure how, what or where. Initially I thought I could purchase them and resell them on my website and donate the profits to Cansa.
But then my analytical Accountant side of my brain took over, thinking of the complications of this for tax purposes and decided this may not be the route to go. I shared my thoughts with Linda and my husband, and both were excited.
We played around with a lot of ideas and the final one that seems to make the most sense, was, to place them in Oncology Centres in boxes so that patients can take one for free and in this manner, spread the good news of Jesus in a unique manner.
So here we are, still waiting to hear from God about Walter and how He wants to do it. It is always very important to me to be obedient to God. To make sure I listen and hear correctly, so that I do not have to redo what ever it is what God wants me to do. I like to get it right the first time.
I have managed to source Walters, but, my finances do not allow me to purchase the minimum quantity of 1,000. At the time I received the quote, the cost for one Walter is approximately R20 (give or take with regards to exchange rates and the price the supplier can source at that time when we do confirm the order). This includes VAT and shipping, but excludes the extras such as the cards and stationery that will be used to print or write the prophetic word on, little bible verses to be purchased (the idea is that each one has a different bible verse) that will be placed in the packaging, etc. The waiting time after placing the order is 60 days. Thus two months. Not a quick process, but one that needs to get started and do what God wants us to do with it.
I have also decided that Walter is to be known as Walter McKenzie A.K.A. Waiting room Walter, named after Linda McKenzie, because she is the one who named him. Walter is my buddy and will go to each chemo treatment with me.
I know that God has placed me on this journey for a reason. I was praying for supernatural healing, which I know God can do. But, He has other plans. He wants to use me inside the Oncology Centre to spread the word in a manner like no one has done before and in the manner which He wants to do it. The only thing I need to do, is to be obedient.
Conclusion
As you can see from what we both have written, Linda and I have two different personality types. We even had lumps on the opposite sides of our breasts. I joked with her and said that opposites attract!
To me our friendship is such a Godly heavenly sent one, one that neither of us could have ever imagined on our own.
God is truly such a Good Good Father. He knows best with everything. We trust Him fully in our lives with everything.
Thank you for your time in reading this, supporting the Waiting Room Walter initiative. We know that God has HUGE plans with this.
