Yesterday was a special day for Springboks Captain Siya Kolisi. His wife Rachel Kolisi took to Instagram to pen a lengthy heartwarming message for him.
Sharing a video, Rachel wrote: "Happy Birthday @siya_kolisi_the_bear !! Words could never explain how much we love and appreciate you. You really are one of a kind! And I can’t wait to see what the next 30 have in store. May the Lord bless you and keep you always. Also, this should be enough payback for the next couple of months. We love you. ️"
Responding to his wife's post Siya wrote: "@rachel_kolisi I love you Mrs. Kolisi! Thank you for always going above and beyond to show how much you love me by embarrassing me like this this is so special to me cuz this must have taken you hours or days, coz technology is not your friend mosi love you mama wa bantwana bam"
Other celebrities have also taken to their social media platforms to celebrate Siya.
Brenden Praise wrote: "Happy birthday Brother @siya_kolisi_the_bear, how fitting that your birthday falls on Youth Day given the incredible work you’ve done and continue to do for the youth!! Have a Blessed one 🏾 and keep inspiring us to be Better and beat all odds."
Maps Maponyane also wrote: "Here's To The BIG 3 0 My Brother! Happy Birthday!Much Love!🏽 @siya_kolisi_the_bear "
A few months ago Rachel opened up to Mpoomy Ledwaba about multiple suicide attempts, depression, and finding Jesus.
She said she tried to commit suicide when she was 15. “I just remember being stuck in a hole, I tried to commit suicide when I was 15. It’s been 2 to 3 years cutting myself and crying for help and just not finding it, people not understanding …… I remember I received an email from someone I met in America... he was quite harsh with me, he was like ‘how dare you to think that your life is something for you to decide when it’s over, how dare you not think about people who love you?’…I was in a whole, I don’t know but for a better explanation, it was like a slap in the face. It was like ‘wake up, realize where you are and what can you do, what can you control, what can you do in a whole to get out ”
She said she eventually realized that she needed to change and live a better life. “I realized after school that the life that I am living is not getting me to the healthy marriage, healthy life, the good career, it’s not getting me there, it’s getting me somewhere else and I was like I need to go back to my base. Yes, I was raised in Christian more of the religious side but I went into this discovery of who Jesus is and what does Jesus do for us until this day sometimes I pray and I am like Lord I just wanna understand more of the sacrifice that happened more of that decision to sacrifice your son for us.”
