Burn victim who survives 8 month recovery is a ‘walking miracle’
Sakhile Sithebe's journey through hell started eight months ago after he sustained over 70% burn wounds over his entire body during a battle against a run-away veld fire.
The physical trauma that Sakhile underwent was to such an extreme, that his brain blocked out the memory of what happened, leaving him confused, in fear and in pain for months, as nursing staff and Dr Zelda Henning battled to save his life.
For months, day after day, Dr Henning and her team had to remind Sakhile why he was there, why he was in so much pain and why his face was gone.
Sakhile, who regained memory of his accident only three weeks ago, explains how the run-away veld fire nearly cost him his life.
He lived and worked on a farm between Piet Retief and New Castle as a farm hand, and was fighting a bush fire.
The smoke was so thick that he could barely see in front of him. Sakhile says he fell into a pit in the ground when burning trees came crashing down on him.
He does not know how he got out of the hole or who saved him.
Sakhile was rushed to a hospital in Piet Retief, where a doctor later referred him to General Surgeon, Dr Zelda Henning at Life MidMed Hospital.
Dr Henning explained that the doctor in Piet Retief had informed her that Sakhile had only sustained burn wounds on 30% of his body.
When Sakhile was transferred into her care, Dr Henning was shocked to find a man that should have been dead.
Dr Henning and Sister Lorraine Meyer started an eight month long journey of infections and skin grafts as they tried to give Sakhile his life back.
Isolated and far from home, with no visitors, Sakhile fought physical and psychological battles with the help of the medical team.
“When we realised that Sakhile was out of the woods, I asked him whether he was feeling any anger towards me. It often happens with such cases that victims rather wish they were dead. But Sakhile told me he was grateful we saved his life and that he is still the same man he was before the fire.” said Dr Henning.
After an eight month-long stay in hospital, Sakhile will be discharged on Friday and Dr Henning will take him home to Piet Retief.
The physical trauma that Sakhile sustained from the fire could mean that he might never be able to work again. But he intends on keeping himself busy with therapeutic activities like exercising and gardening.
He will return to stay with his aged mother, who will help take care of him.
