Heart attack ki in H Hwange

During the June holidays, I camped with my wife Annamie in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. One of the places we stayed was Sinamatella Camp – a beautiful campsite overlooking endless mopane veld. The next afternoon we drove the Sinamatella Loop. At one stage I got out of the car to look for something in the back, and felt a terrible chest pain. I got into the car again and the pain went away. It came back later in camp, rising into my throat, subsided and returned that night between 11 pm and 4 am. After a brief respite, the pain was back when I ate a rusk at 6 am. We drove to the local clinic but the nurse wasn’t there. We decided to strike camp and drive to Bulawayo. On the way, in the town of Hwange, we went to see a doctor at Hwange Colliery Hospital. We paid the $4 fee and Dr Edwin Mbereko checked my blood pressure: 240/122! He said he was obliged to admit me for the night. I was placed in the intensive care unit and given oxygen. Blood samples were taken: My cardiac enzyme level showed that I’d suffered a heart attack. They gave me morphine and connected me to monitors. We managed to phone our family doctor in Musina, Dr Barbara Cawood. She spoke to Dr Mbereko and said we should just remain calm; she’d take care of the rest. Minutes later we got a call from someone at GEMS, our medical scheme, assuring us of their full support. An aeroplane was being dispatched from Harare and would be in Hwange early the next morning. The plane arrived as promised, with a doctor and an assistant on board. We landed in Bulawayo half an hour later for immigration and customs purposes, then we flew to Lanseria where an ambulance was waiting to take me to Netcare Unitas Hospital in Centurion. Nine days and six stents later, I’m recovering at my children’s place in Potchefstroom! Thank you very much to Drs Cobus Badenhorst (Unitas), Cawood and Mbereko. You were all incredible. ARCHIE STANDER, Musina