Pharmacist’s road to overcoming Covid-19 gains traction
● Mother in hospital fights to get home to baby girl
A pharmacist’s journey to recovery has been documented on a Facebook page set up by her family as she battles the coronavirus in hospital.
Days after Michelle Levendal was informed that Covid19-positive patients had been bringing their own prescriptions to the pharmacy where she worked, she began to feel the flu-like symptoms associated with the dreaded virus.
An asthmatic who also has hypertension, her fear was intensified — especially when she had to leave behind her still-breastfeeding baby — and climb into an ambulance alone.
She has been on oxygen at Life Beacon Bay Hospital in East London ever since.
But there is not one day that Levendal, 40, who moved to East London from Port Elizabeth in February, has felt lonely.
Family and friends rallied with prayers and messages of reassurance, so much so that her sisters set up a Facebook page to keep up with the overwhelming support and document her road to recovery.
On Sunday, Theopendoor Assembly of God pastor Julius Kirsten hosted an online prayer service in support of Levendal.
Levendal has reciprocated with her own short video clips to update loved ones on her progress.
In one message, she can be heard over the oxygen machine telling her friends how much she loves them.
Last week, the patient next to her died from the virus, a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong.
Levendal remains optimistic she will soon be home with her daughter, Shekinah, and partner, Clayton Samuels.
“The truth is when your loved one is admitted to hospital with this virus, you don’t know if you will ever see them again,” her sister, Mandy Frank, said.
“That’s a reality many people are still refusing to face by naively underestimating the viciousness of the Covid-19 virus.”
Frank said when her sister was transported to hospital on Wednesday last week, the family had phoned her via video call.
“It was incredibly scary. But she wanted to see her loved ones and we tried to be strong for her.”
Since then, the number of video messages posted to the “Praying For Shelley” Facebook page continues to rise.
In one moving tribute, Samuels sang a praise and worship song to the mother of his child, while the little girl could be heard babbling in the background.
Levendal received her positive test results on July 12.
A frontline worker, she knew she carried added risk of contracting the virus, but was initially upset that some members of the public had not taken the necessary precautions to curb the spread.
In a post on Facebook, she wrote: “On Tuesday, when I arrived at work, my colleagues informed me that Covid-19 positive patients were bringing their own prescriptions to the pharmacy.
“They were shopping in our store and not self-isolating.
“I was shocked that people could be so selfish and negligent.”
She began feeling unwell on the Wednesday, got tested on the Friday and by the Sunday was informed of her results.
“I am having severe breathing difficulties.
“I have a small baby who is breastfeeding and I cannot self-isolate from her.
“I have to sanitise and put on a mask when I feed her.
“She pulls the mask off because it scares her.”
Levendal’s other sister, Laiken Ragaval, explained the helplessness of having a family member admitted to hospital for Covid-19.
“Usually we would rally around each other, having coffee, making supper, praying together.
“But because of this virus we have to be apart,” she said.
Frank said her sister’s resilience and determination to get home to her baby girl was inspiring.
Samuels said so many people had supported them by dropping off food and groceries, and that he was overwhelmed by the support.