‘Medical staff showed compassion on another level’
Their kindness, sympathy, and dedication in trying to save my wife’s life can’t go unnoticed,” says Abdool Carrim Omar, who lost his wife, Kulsum Omar (41) after a three-month-long battle with Covid-19.
The management and medical staff of Mediclinic Potchefstroom showed compassion on another level. Their kindness, sympathy, and dedication in trying to save my wife’s life can’t go unnoticed,” says Abdool Carrim Omar, who lost his wife, Kulsum Omar (41) after a three-month-long battle with Covid-19.
Soon after being ventilated, Kulsum gave birth to a baby boy while under sedation. Her fight against the virus was a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs until she succumbed to the devastating side effects of the virus on 28 September.
A month later, Abdool Omar is still heartbroken at the death of his wife. At the same time, he is also grateful for the way the staff treated him and his family. To him, it was a privilege to have spent a little more time with the love of his life.
“I still can’t believe everything happened so fast”, says Omar. The nightmare began with his pregnant wife who was admitted to the hospital with a high heart rate on Saturday, 3 July, the day after her birthday.
“At first, the doctors planned to stabilise her. After that, they wanted to remove the baby with a caesarian but after a day or two, she was doing so well that the doctors thought she would go home before the weekend. Unfortunately, by Wednesday, her health had deteriorated and they moved her to the Covid ward because she had to be ventilated. “For the first week after they had ventilated her, everything went well. A few days later, the doctors decided to do a caesarian section to deliver the baby to provide Kulsum with better treatment”, Omar says.
Baby Hasan Omar was born prematurely on Saturday, 17 July. He was in the neonatal ICU for three weeks before going home. “Kulsum never even knew she had become a mother,” says Omar. According to Omar’s mother, Yasmeen Omar, the nurses in the neonatal ICU were extremely accommodating and very supportive.
Dr Prenolan Pillay, the specialist physician, continued his treatment and sister Elmary Mtsipi was Omar’s sole strength and support in Kulsum’s fight for recovery. She never failed to update him daily and continued to motivate Kulsum to keep fighting.
Later, Kulsum also underwent an operation by a cardiothoracic surgeon from Johannesburg because she was suffering from internal bleeding. According to Omar, the first one and a half months in hospital were very tough. But Kulsum gradually started getting better and the doctors decided to wake her up so she could breathe by herself again.
When she woke up, the hospital allowed her to hold her baby. The couple’s four-year-old boy and six-year-old daughter were also allowed to see their mom again.
By now, Kulsum was very weak. She was also suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks your nerves. It affected her feet, hands, limbs and neck. “She couldn’t move at all, but she had an excellent physiotherapist, Shaun Maart, who was very creative in the way he assisted her with her exercises.”
Omar remembers the day before Kulsum’s passing. “She was looking at her best. I couldn’t believe it when I went to the ICU. She was sitting upright and, for the first time, she had colour in her face. She was smiling.” After visiting hours, later that evening, she wouldn’t let go of his hand. He sat there for another hour before leaving.
When Omar came back the next day (Tuesday, 28 September), Kulsum wasn’t awake and did not look well. She was struggling with oxygen. She was also not awake when he returned that evening. He had a very uneasy feeling when he went home and decided to phone the nurse. The nurse said he should return to the hospital since Kulsum was still unstable and he should speak to her until she was stable again. “By the time I got to the hospital, I could see that she was suffering. Her organs were shutting down. She passed away later that evening,” Omar continues.
“Despite this terrible heartache, I just want to say how much I appreciated everyone at the hospital for their support and loving-kindness – from the security personnel to the hospital staff. I want to thank Dr Pillay, Magriet Barnard (the dietician) and Shaun Maart for their dedication. I was touched by Dr Ludwig de Jager (ENT surgeon), Diana King and Rayno Crous for their patience and time in supporting and encouraging me. People from all races have supported me and made my life more bearable in so many ways,” says Omar.
