NEWS: Maggots in wound: man’s mom horrified
Mom in UK tells of maggots-in-wound horror – but praises caring PE folk
THE mother of a Port Elizabeth man whose severe leg wound became infested with maggots at Livingstone Hospital is horrified at the treatment he received.
And her living in the UK had made it even harder to bear, Judy Poole said yesterday.
After begging nurses for days to change his surgical dressings since December 23, Clint Morris, 40, woke up on Tuesday to find his massive leg wound covered in maggots.
Morris, a handyman at The Willows, was seriously injured in a scooter accident a month ago and has undergone multiple surgeries on both legs.
Poole said: “I really struggled, being here in England.
“My husband died and I came to live with my daughter.
“I have been here for a few years now and Clint has been on his own . . . he has no family in Port Elizabeth.
“When he had the accident his phone was smashed. A friend called me. I couldn’t even talk to my son for a week.
“I got hold of my sister’s child, Ricky Prinsloo, in Durban and he couriered a cellphone to Clint.
“I also borrowed money and sent Ricky money to go visit Clint. He had to borrow a car, but drove there for me.
“While doctors first said they would have to amputate Clint’s foot, two doctors from Provincial Hospital said if he was up to pain and a long road ahead, they would transfer him there and do recovery surgery.”
Poole said the support of her friends in Port Elizabeth had been fantastic.
“The community has really come together for Clint. Some folks took him goodies like razors, shaving gel, cold drinks and data,” she said.
“Without them, Clint and I could not have coped.
“Simple things that I as his mum should be doing the people of Port Elizabeth stepped in and did, and are still doing. “I am humbled and grateful. “Brian Paddey from the Amputee Support Group has been fantastic. The Christian Motorcycle Association has also been awesome,” Poole said.
“So many people have done so much for Clinton and myself it’s unbelievable. “Clinton just spoke to me and sounds very down. This is unlike him as he has weathered this very well.
“He wants to be whole again. He will endure pain and try hard, but he needs the medical profession to do their share.”
Paddey said yesterday he had been to see Morris earlier in the day and was surprised at the change of attitude in the ward. “It was like a different place.” Paddey said he had also received an offer from a pharmaceutical company to assist Morris with state-of-the-art vacuum dressings free of charge.
Speaking on behalf of the hospital, Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said Morris was taken to theatre yesterday so doctors could clean his wound properly under anaesthetic, assess any damage to the skin and muscle grafts, and decide how to take his treatment further.
He said staff at Livingstone Hospital were under instructions from health superintendent-general Dr Thobile Mbengashe to make sure Morris received five-star care.
“Once investigations are concluded, appropriate action will be taken against those who may have neglected their duties and obligations.”
Kupelo said Livingstone Hospital chief executive Thulane Madonsela was on leave, but the matter was considered serious enough for him to be informed of it.