God’s hand was at work, says thankful seizure victim
A Glenwood woman is recovering well after having a fall and seizure at the Glenwood Village Shopping Centre where a doctor, nurse, and passing anethetist came to her rescue.
IT was more than just a coincidence that the right people were in the right place last week when Bev Duncan suffered a seizure and collapsed in the hardware store at Glenwood Village Shopping Centre. Some people may call the incident a serendipitous miracle and a sign of God’s hand at work, as a group of strangers rallied to stabilise Bev and get her to hospital.
This week, store owners and staff at Glenwood Village Shopping Centre welcomed, Bev, who is a regular customer at the centre, with open arms and smiles of joy, as she met with the group of angels who had helped her.
“We’re all so thrilled to see her come in today,” said Village Hardware manager, Fazila Ibrahim. Ibrahim said she was at the rear of her store last week when she heard a loud thud. When she went to see what had happened, she found Bev lying on the ground having a seizure.
“Our staff ran next door to call William who knows first aid, and the doctor and nurse from the Centre. We were all just praying for her because we didn’t know what to do. It was scary because she is a regular customer and we knew she had a brain tumour,” she said.
Reflecting on the drama that unfolded in her store, Ibrahim said she was thankful “people were at the right place at the right time.”
William Vermaak of Outdoor Adventure Gear closed his store and rushed to Bev’s aid. “Bev was lying on the ground having a seizure and bleeding from the head. I got her into a comfortable position and called an ambulance and Dr Andre Potgieter who has a practice at the Centre.
“An anaethetist customer of mine, together with Dr Potgieter and Sr Armstrong then took over,” Vermaak said.
Dr Potgieter said Bev was conscious when he arrived but quite distressed. “I sedated her to calm her down and noticed she had a laceration to her head from the fall. An anaethetist who was here shopping, together with Sr Linda Armstrong from the Glenwood Village Pharmacy, assisted me to stabilise her,” he said.
During these intense few minutes, Bev’s best friend, Liz Good, returned from running into the Spar. “I was shocked because she was perfectly fine when we got to the Centre, I parked at the top and saw her go in while I rushed to get something from downstairs. I was gone for less than 10 minutes and returned to see my friend on the floor in a pool of blood. Bev and I are committed Christians and I knew then it was definitely the hand of God working, because despite all the challenges Bev’s faced since being diagnosed with a brain tumor last November, God turns things around for the better. It’s a miracle that the doctor, anaethetist and nurse were all there to help!”
When the ambulance didn’t arrive, William drove Bev, Liz and Sr Armstrong to Entabeni Hospital, while Glenwood Village Shopping Centre manager, Vanessa Rhynes followed in Bev’s car.
“I was overwhelmed and very teary because it was all a huge shock. I saw the outworking of her faith! A doctor leaving his practice, a man shutting down his shop to assist someone in need and help save her life.William didn’t care that she was bleeding and would make a mess in his car, they were all a Godsend and they came in and ensured we were okay at the hospital before leaving,” said a still emotional Liz.
“It was great to see how human beings came together and worked in unity for the good to assist in an emergency situation,” said Vanessa, “In these situations, the human spirit comes out! I am so proud of all the wonderful people at the Centre,” she added.
While everyone rallied around to get Bev to the hospital, she was none the wiser and afterward could only recall walking into the store. “I don’t even remember getting sick or passing out. I only found out about it all days later when I came out of hospital.
“It makes me feel so secure to know I have good friends and that perfect strangers came to my rescue. I’m grateful that I still see God protecting me every day.”
Despite four days in hospital after the incident, Bev was lucky to walk away from the fall with only severe bruising. “We also received more miracle news on Monday when her oncologist said her tumor had shrunk by between 10 and 20 percent,” added an overjoyed Liz.
