WATCH: Queensburgh Down Syndrome woman defeats Covid-19
Northdene resident Andrea and her family were delighted that she had overcome her Covid-19 infection.
THE Covid-19 pandemic is contributing to hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide, especially among people with comorbidities.
Northdene, resident, Andrea Joseph, is a 36-year-old woman living with Down Syndrome.
She survived the infection despite all the odds being stacked against her.
She spent a total of 26 days in hospital, 19 of those in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 12 of those days on a ventilator.
According to South African Department of Health and Down Syndrome South Africa, Down Syndrome is a genetic birth disorder caused when abnormal cell division during the development of a baby before birth results in an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21.
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It commonly causes medical abnormalities, including heart and gastrointestinal disorders, and is life limiting with many children born with Down Syndrome dying before their first birthday.
However, Down Syndrome also varies in severity among individuals, causing lifelong intellectual disability and developmental delays.
The most frequent causes of death in people with Down Syndrome are respiratory infections (bronchopneumonia) and congenital heart disease which means it is one of the worst co-occurring conditions for anyone to suffer from along with a Covid-19 infection.
Covid-19
According to Andrea’s sister-in-law, Elaine Joseph, Andrea contracted Covid-19 as a result of attending a family gathering on Father’s Day 2020.
“Her symptoms presented a week later,” she explained.
Elaine said that despite her local GP diagnosing and trying to treat her, she didn’t respond to treatment.
Once her condition took a turn for the worse Andrea was admitted to Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital on 4 July.
“On day four she was booked into the ICU unit, and put on the ventilator,” said Elaine who explained that by then her lungs were in a poor condition. In addition to damage to her lungs, other organ damage was significant.
“Her liver and other organs had been severely affected as a result of Covid-19. Everyday was touch and go,” said Elaine.
“Being a person with Down Syndrome and having to put up the fight of her life, away from the love and support of family was just heartbreaking. It was overwhelming to see Andrea hooked up to machines, unable to breath on her own, ” said Elaine who considers the recovery of Andrea nothing short of a miracle.
“Her doctor and the nurses who tended to her were amazing, ” she said.
“Through it all, Dr Letasha Kalideen and her team, along with the staff have been amazing. The dedication, love and care that was shown to a special-needs individual was just beyond words. “
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Elaine said when she was given permission to visit Andrea in the ICU, it was assumed by almost everyone that she was there to say goodbye. However, Andrea wasn’t prepared to give up her fight.
“I got a message from her doctor shortly after I had been to visit, with a video clip of Andrea beginning to wake up,” said Elaine.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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