THE STORY OF TAV

A story of healing, purpose and a vision that was born long before the business.

TAV did not begin with a product, It began with a promise.

In February 2010, I had been married for only two months when our lives changed overnight.

I was diagnosed with pulmonary emboli in both lungs, believed to have been triggered by my birth control pill. Genetic testing did not reveal an underlying hereditary cause, but the situation was extremely serious.  My VQ scan was so concerning that it was sent to Pretoria for a second opinion. The answers that came back did not bring much comfort. The doctors could not give us hope, and surgery was not considered a viable option because of the enormous risk involved.

I was a newlywed. I had barely begun this new chapter of my life, and suddenly I was facing the possibility that it might end tragically.

When my family eventually left the hospital that evening after the doctors told us there was nothing they could do except give me high doses of blood thinners and wait, I was alone with God. I had severe shortness of breath and excruciating pain in my chest.  I prayed: “Lord, please take me, or confirm to me that I am going to live.”

Then something happened that I will never forget. I put on my earphones and the first song that played on my playlist was “Testify” by Avalon.

In that moment, something settled inside me.  I believed that the Lord was telling me that I would live. More than that, I believed there would come a day when I would be able to testify about what He had done. The following day, my husband received scripture which confirmed the same thing in his heart.

The healing journey began. For approximately ten months, I was treated with high doses of Warfarin.  It was an incredibly difficult season for me. My dosage was difficult to stabilise and I experienced constant headaches, and my muscles ached relentlessly. Some days felt endless.

Yet, through it all, there were moments that we could only describe as miracles. Again and again, God gave us enough strength and confirmation to continue.

Then came November 2010. I walked into the Johannesburg office of pulmonologist Prof. David Le Roux. My mother was with me. He studied my medical history, my file and my blood results. He leaned across the table towards me and said words I will never forget:

“You leave the Warfarin as of today, because I believe you are healed.”

For me, it was another confirmation of the promise I believed God had given me in that hospital room months before, but the story wasn't finished.

Switzerland, 2013

In 2013, my husband and I finally fulfilled a dream for which we had saved for a long time: travelling through Britain/Europe together.

While we were in Switzerland, I experienced another suspected blood-clot episode.

After everything I had been through in 2010, I knew what a hospital admission could potentially mean. I prayed again and placed the situation before the Lord. During that experience, I began exploring natural and complementary approaches and the Holy Spirit, prompted me to start using Cayenne pepper in high doses.  Within several days, my symptoms began to settle.

That experience became the beginning of an entirely new journey for me.  It sparked my fascination with the natural world.

I began researching botanicals, essential oils, traditional remedies, ingredients and holistic wellness. My husband and I gradually adopted a more holistic approach to our everyday lives.

Over the years, the Lord brought extraordinary people across my path — friends, mentors, suppliers and people with tremendous knowledge, particularly in essential oils and natural ingredients.

I absorbed everything I could, but there was still one question in my heart.

“Lord, you told me you healed me, and you don't do jobs halfway. Why did it happen again?”

For years, I did not have an answer. Then, many years later, I was standing at my kitchen sink washing dishes.  In my spirit, I clearly sensed the Holy Spirit answer the question I had carried for so long: “I allowed it to happen again so that you would know that I healed you, and not doctors.”

Suddenly, I saw my journey differently. What I had considered an interruption had become part of the road that ultimately led me to my purpose. The experience in Switzerland had pushed me to start learning.  Learning led to research, research led to formulation, formulation led to manufacturing and eventually, all those roads would lead to TAV.

My professional journey did not begin in a laboratory. I studied Psychology at the University of North West, did my paramedic qualifications with Medical Rescue International,  spent two years working in London and then came back to teaching for almost ten years in South Africa.  In 2014, I joined one of my husband's businesses and somewhere along that journey, the pieces began coming together.

I became increasingly fascinated by nature, wellness, ingredients and how products are made. I began to understand that this was more than an interest for me.  Healing and wellness felt as though they had been written into my blueprint.

In 2022, the vision became something tangible. We felt inspired to establish a wellness-focused manufacturing partner for our existing network with the name: TAV (which God gave to us).

My husband and I loved it immediately. TAV is the 22nd and final letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Historically, its name is associated with a mark or sign (hitting the mark), and because it concludes the Hebrew alphabet, it can also carry beautiful symbolism of completion, fulfilment and bringing something to its intended end and crossing into a new beginning - the Hebrew alphabet is circular. For us, that meaning was profound.

Because TAV was never simply about making another product. It represented the culmination of a journey that had begun years earlier in a hospital room. A journey through fear, faith, questions and grace.

Today, in 2026, my journey has taken another extraordinary turn. I am now also a qualified cosmetic chemist/scientist and I do not look back for one moment. My faith did not lead me away from science, thinking of it, it actually led me deeper into it.

The Lord gave me a very clear picture of what TAV would become.

I saw myself sitting in front of my computer.  Suddenly, light exploded from the computer and spread outward into the population.  It wasn't contained by the screen, it travelled, it reached people and changed lives. We believe, that  every formulation, every bottle, every customer, every reseller and every person who crosses our path become part of something bigger. 

TAV is not simply a brand born in 2022, it is a story that began in 2010, a journey that crossed hospitals, classrooms, businesses, countries, laboratories and years of learning and above all, a God who remained faithful through every chapter.

The song that played in that hospital room all those years ago was called “Testify.”

I believe that was the first glimpse of TAV before we even knew its name. Today, this is our testimony and we believe the story has only just begun.

Melvena van der Westhuizen

Founder/Director

Founder’s note: This is a personal testimony and the story behind the founding of TAV. References to personal health experiences, natural ingredients or complementary practices describe my own journey and are not intended as medical advice or as claims that any ingredient or TAV product can prevent, treat or cure pulmonary embolism, blood clots or any other medical condition. Suspected blood clots or pulmonary embolism require urgent professional medical care.