TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN - REFERENCE LETTER ON CANDACE STAUB

Candace Staub was employed by us as an Au Pair during a very difficult time in our lives.

My husband was diagnosed with 4th stage Non Hodgkins lymphoma with a few weeks to live.

Just prior to my husband having been diagnosed and just 5 days before Christmas his father was attacked and died in our house during the early hours of the morning while we were trying to resuscitate him. Our daughters being only 18 years old and in Matric and 13 years old and going into puberty had put presents under the tree for their "grandpa". They were traumatized by this.

My husband was in hospital for 5 months and after very harsh chemotherapy treatments and a bone marrow transplant, a miracle was bestowed on us. Today he is cured. I spent every day for 5 months at the hospital to bring him home alive to his daughters, who lived in constant fear of their father dying at any moment. I am giving you a bit of background so that you can see what Candace is capable of under very stressful circumstances.

Candace would drive through from Sea Point every morning to collect our oldest daughter at 7am to take her through to school in Green Point. She would hold down a job in the morning, and collect our daughter at 2.30 from school and drive her back to Hout Bay. She would also, help with the many projects they have in Matric. She would take our daughter on the weekend to have metal etc cut for the projects.

At the later stages, I would often get home at 8pm at night and Candace would have thrown a salad and supper together for us. Candace would also, help our youngest daughter with her homework. Candace would attend to extra mural activities. She would drive our daughters through to the hospital at a moment’s notice, should their Dad not be doing well. She at times would take them to her flat to sleep, when I would have to overnight at the hospital during

times of "close calls". I felt assured that I could focus on what I had to do with and for my husband in

hospital 24/7 as they often "slip through the cracks" when they are very sick and need 7 different types of mouth rinses every hour.

Candace would be punctual, bubbly, intelligent "think on her feet", capable, caring and be a surrogate mother to my youngest daughter.

I can highly recommend her for any position of employment, please feel free to phone me, Charmaine Howell on 0823321688, should you wish to discuss any matters further.

Charmaine Howell