Amputee appeals for help
An Umbilo resident is urging the community to assist him with donations to help dress his wound.
AMPUTEE, Dean Burke, whose tragic story was highlighted in Berea Mail in August 2012 when his right leg was amputated below the knee after doctors at Addington Hospital advised him it could not be saved, has fallen on hard times since undergoing a second amputation.
Bearea Mail featured Burke’s story after he had fallen through floorboards and a splinter had been embedded in his foot. Burke, who is a diabetic, went to Addington Hospital after his foot became septic. Doctors advised amputation and his leg was amputated below the knee.
Since then, Burke has undergone another amputation. This time however, his left leg has been amputated below the knew, leaving him unable to get around.
“I was told to exercise following losing my right leg, and was persuaded to use a walker as I needed to lose weight. The extra pressure caused pressure on my toes on my left foot and I developed an abcess. My toe started looking really bad, and just got worse.
“I spoke to doctors at Addington and had it cleaned, and was given antibiotics and sent home. The wound kept popping open and became gangrenous. I was eventually taken from Addington to Wentworth Hospital, and the toe was cut and the wound cleaned. I also got a hole in the base of my big toe, which eventually started healing,” he said.
Burke returned to hospital when the wound turned septic and was taken back into theatre and another cut was done. “I had an operation on 3 January and was discharged on the 7th. How do you recuperate so quickly after such an operation? I was also sent home from Addington with no dressings. I am unable to afford these, as I can no longer work,” he said.
To add to his woes, he has recently been told his file has gone missing from Addington Hospital.
He said his family relied on him before to bring in an income, and he had been able to do painting jobs when he had one leg, and could get around, however now he could not do anything.
“I have to rely on my wife, Antoinette, to look after me, so she can’t work either. It is also a battle to get to the pension office to get our grant at the end of the month. We are very grateful to people for their help, these include Juanita Davis, a resident at Kenneth Gardens, Glenridge Church members and our home group leader and Kelvin from Brenlin Plumbers,” he said.
Dean is appealing to the community to help with donations of dressings, bandages, Silbecor cream for his wounds, plasters, Omnifix elastic plasters, Jellownet (vaseline gauze), and a large wheelchair.
“If anyone can help, it would be wonderful as it is a real battle. We pray God will open the door for someone to help us,” he said.
Sam Mkhwanazi, spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, said: “The Department is, by law, not allowed to share details of a patient’s clinical condition or health status with a third party. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has a complaints mechanism in place. Any patient with a medical concern following a consultation is advised to immediately approach the office of the Public Relations Officer or hospital CEO to register their complaints or write to the office of the KZN provincial health Ombudsperson.”
He said without referring to case in any particular, the procedure for wound dressing was that patients were advised to go to their local clinics for wound dressing and that wound dressing was done at the clinic level by primary health care nurses.
“Patients are not given bandages or gauze to take home for dressing but are advised to always go to their local clinic where the dressing will be done by professional nursing staff. That service is offered at the clinic level. Pain killers are always given to patients and are always available at clinic level,” he said.
