Mr B.

Mr B, Benna, or just Ben.

Last week I had to make a call to our medical aid provider. We needed to provide proof of medical insurance in order to travel to St Helena. The family needed the cover for the ship, and I needed the cover to race.

A very capable Discovery staff member took my call.

"so Mr Loots, who are all travelling? Is your wife Tanya going?"

"Yes, My wife is going, so is Francis Kendle Loots (Rosie), and James Kenneth"

"What about Ben? Is Ben not going" She asks. She was obviously checking the beneficiaries list on the other side.

"No, I'm afraid Ben is not going with", I respond.

"Why is Ben not going?", she asks.

"Why is Ben not going?"

The short answer is because Ben, our eldest child is a severely mentally handicapped boy. Travelling over such a distance and time with Ben would be very difficult and trying for all involved, not least for Ben.

Ben entered this world 15 years ago. He arrived 3 months premature following an emergency op because his mom's life was being threatened by the continuing pregnancy. At birth Ben weighed in at a mere 710 gram. The pediatrician gave Ben a 50% chance to survive the first night. History will tell us the Ben did survive.

But somehow, all was not to be with Ben's development. But for us, Ben is Ben. While still at the ICU where he spent the first three months of his life, the sisters started to call him Mr B.

That name stuck. Later, his late grampa Ben's friends called him Ou Benna.

Whatever we call him, Ben is our special boy. Everybody loves Ben. And Ben loves everybody.

Ben especially loves blonds with nice big boobs and lots of cleavage. I get quite envious when I see him make a beeline for some blond woman and he just buries his head right in there and it's all smiles. Big grin on his face.

Ben will not be going to St Helena with Tanya and Jamie and Rosie (Francis Kendle on her passport).