Woman battling incurable disease pens book detailing her struggle
“I’ve had systemic lupus erythematosus for seven years now and it’s getting worse every day,”
An Annlin, Pretoria North woman battling an incurable ailment, has written a book about her struggle.
Chrissie van der Westhuizen remains hopeful her condition would get better, despite it reportedly getting worse, as her medical bills pile up.
“I’ve had systemic lupus erythematosus [lupus] for seven years now, and it’s getting worse every day,” Van der Westhuizen told Rekord as she gasped for breath.
“I’m on morphine patches at the moment, and drink another strong pill.”
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Though the disease had taken its toll on Van der Westhuizen, her health and her family, she has written a book about her life’s story, including how she has been living with the disease.
The book is called A life of trauma gave me lupus.
“I had a terrible life as a child. Since I was seven my father raped me. I lost my first husband a day after our wedding in a car crash and my stepfather died in front of me from a massive heart attack after we had an argument in 2011,” she said, adding that she loved her stepfather dearly.
She has had no relationship with her biological father since she was around nine-years-old.
While Van der Westhuizen said she was still able to get medication for treating her inflammatory disease, but she explained it was getting increasingly difficult to do so since her husband lost his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My husband has his own business but with the lockdown, the work just stopped,” she said, adding they were currently “really struggling”.
Van der Westhuizen, however, said her family – particularly her mother and sister – were trying to assist where they could with medical bills and food.
“I’m very sick at the moment and really need assistance,” she said.
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Van der Westhuizen has been through what she described as “hell and back”, and said she was in grave need of assistance.
“I really hope people can open their hearts,” she said.
According mediclinicinfohub.co.za, lupus is a chronic, inflammatory auto-immune disorder where the body’s defence system attacks its own tissues and it may affect one or many organs including the skin, joints and internal organs.
It can manifest in the skin, musculoskeletal, kidney and nervous system along with blood, heart and lung disorders.
Other forms of lupus also include cutaneous lupus, drug-induced lupus and neonatal lupus.
Those who wish to get in touch with Van der Westhuizen to assist or who wants to buy her book may reach her on Facebook and through the Back a Buddy page.
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