As my father-in-law struggles on a hospital bed half a world away, I can only look back to try and paint a sad smile on my face.

Henri arrived as an unexpected present, a decade after my own dad had passed away, and his endearing fatherly figure filled a void I had not thought could be tackled.

He was seventy-seven when I decided on impulse to join him on the Cape Argus Cycle Tour. He would do his on one lung. A year later, he led me up the famous India Venster hike to the top of Table Mountain.

Hang in there Henri, you can do this. And to all around you, I wish peace and I send my love.

Making tough faces for the camera after the Argus, 2010