HOW SURVIVORS BEAT CORONAVIRUS
THREE Covid-19 survivors have detailed their painful journeys to recovery from what they described as a horrible disease that can have debilitating effects, but can be beaten.
The survivors, from all walks of life, said they were grateful to be able to tell their stories and inspire others to defeat the virus.
The Western Cape has recorded 17 286 confirmed cases, 403 deaths and 9 157 recoveries.
For 40-year-old occupational therapist Insaaf Mohammed, who works for the Provincial Health Department and is asthmatic, a tight chest, coughing and headaches were the worst symptoms of the disease.
Mohammed and her 7-year-old son contracted Covid-19 from her husband, who works in a laboratory at Groote Schuur Hospital.
“We self-isolated in our bedroom while my mother-in-law – who has diabetes and hypertension, and thankfully never contracted the virus – took care of our other two children while we were trying to fight and overcome Covid-19,” Mohammed said.
She said her worst fear was experiencing serious respiratory complications from Covid-19.
“I experienced tiredness, coughing and tightness of my chest, which my asthma pump resolved, but my symptoms were not as severe as my husband’s, who had body aches, nausea, a tight chest, shortness of breath, blocked sinus, thick phlegm in his chest and a fever. My son had a fever for three days but recovered quite quickly once he overcame his symptoms.”
Mohammed and her family have since been adhering to all the golden rules – following hygiene protocols at work and home to help prevent others from contracting the disease.
“Recovering from this virus changed my thought process and my perspective on life. You appreciate your family and the small things in life even more. I want people in any working environment to take responsibility for their health, to educate their families and children, especially now that kids are going back to school soon.”
Father of five Bathandwa Zuzo, 48, from Gugulethu was admitted to the Melomed Gatesville Hospital on April 26, where he was unconscious for the next three weeks while undergoing treatment.
Zuzo, who works for the City as a driver in the sanitation division, said he had initially experienced flu-like symptoms and went to a doctor, who gave him “pills and an injection”.
“After that, I did not have much pain for almost a week... then my whole body was in severe pain and I had trouble breathing. I did not think it could be Covid-19 because I was always wearing a mask, I still don’t know how I contracted it.
“The last thing I remember in the ICU was when the doctor told me to focus on her as she was about to begin working; after that, everything went blank.”
When he woke up, he was greeted by doctors and nurses. “I was really worried that I might not make it because I am diabetic and people
who suffer from diabetes are likely not to survive if they are not diagnosed at an early stage because this virus attacks your immune system and we have a weak immune system. “My family members were very supportive and they prayed for me from the day I was admitted to the hospital. The virus has shaped my life; I now appreciate every moment God gives me,” he said.
South African citizens John Bengston, 70, and his wife Joan, 66, are in Frankfurt, Germany where he managed to beat the virus.
They are anxiously waiting to return home. “We got off a ship on March 27 and they put us up in a hotel in Frankfurt. My husband was taken to hospital on March 30 when he couldn’t breathe – he was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and he fought for his life,” Joan said.
John underwent a tracheostomy and was intubated, and now has respiratory problems. “He was so close to death. They took him from the ICU and they put him in the respiratory clinic. He now has a swallowing problem and respiratory problems. He also has weak muscles in his legs and he has to learn to walk and talk again.
“The way not to get it is to wash your hands as often as you can, and don’t touch people,” Joan said.
Despite being near her husband, she did not test positive. The couple have been cleared to take a medical flight back to Cape Town, and hope to be home in the coming days.