Community assists learner who needs operation after accident

A 12-year-old Laerskool Wierdapark learner from Centurion will undergo orthopaedic surgery this week to repair her badly damaged arm following an accident involving a taxi last Friday.

Alexis Timmerman on Friday afternoon ran across the road from her school to buy sweets at a local garage when she was struck by a minibus taxi.

Alexis fractured her arm in two places and suffered a major soft tissue injury to her knee, according to her primary caretaker and grandmother, Marinda Merryweather.

“The taxi driver stopped after the accident and helped Alexis get the necessary medical attention which we appreciated,” Merryweather said.

Following the accident, Alexis was taken to a private hospital where the bill to operate on her arm alone was around R145 000.

“Our medical insurance was insufficient to cover this cost; so instead Alexis was transported to Kalafong provincial hospital, but under appalling conditions,” said Merryweather.

Merryweather was informed they could only do the necessary surgery on Alexis’ arm on Thursday, March 3.

“She was not well looked after in the hospital, which broke my heart and I requested the hospital discharge her to take care of her myself.”

According to Merryweather, Alexis had to wait about five hours in a wheelchair in a passage before she received treatment.

“When eventually admitted, she had to lie in an open ward, dressed in a hospital robe only, without having a blanket to cover herself.

“On Sunday morning, she called me crying that no one assisted her when she called to go to the bathroom and subsequently wet the bed.”

Merryweather related that when she got there, she requested the nursing staff to take Alexis’ temperature because she was covered in sweat.

“And the only pain medication they had available for her was Panado syrup.”

An ambulance transported her home yesterday, said Merryweather.

She will be collected again tomorrow by an ambulance to take her to Cure Care in Erasmuskloof, Pretoria, where she will undergo the operation on her arm on Wednesday.

Alexis said she was feeling a lot better at home in the lounge with her grandmother than in the hospital.

“A teacher from my school visited me this morning and brought me all these packets of sweets, books to read, and some nice activities to do,” Alexis said.

Merryweather related that Alexis’ best friend’s mother approached the school’s principal to assist her to found a group where the community could donate to help them cover the expenses.

“The principal approached a legal practitioner who created a fund, which was published and posted widely.

“After that, a local orthopaedic surgeon informed us that he was willing to assist Alexis with the necessary surgery to her arm free of charge.

“It is absolutely amazing, we still need to pay for all the rest, but the school, parents, friends and community have been simply amazing. We are blown away and deeply touched by this kind of support and kindness.”

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Through tears, Merryweather said that people got so alienated from each other since the impact of Covid on communities, but “here we see how faithful God is, He still uses people to reach out to us under dreadful circumstances”.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Kalafong hospital, Given Makobela, said when patients arrive at the hospital’s Casualty Department, they work according to a system.

“Priority is given to patients with more life-threatening injuries or conditions than others. And on weekends especially we experience a lot of trauma cases.

“Once a patient’s medical need has been attended to and is stable, they will be categorised and admitted to a ward. Each bed has a full set of linen.”

Makobela said every ward has a bathroom with the kind of hygienic products available that every household uses and that medical staff is available for assistance.

“We will, however, follow up this complaint and investigate the allegations,” Makobela said.

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