Elizabeth’s Story

When a family member phoned HospiceWits to request assistance with their sister who was very ill, one of our nurses called to see Elizabeth (not her real name) in her home. She was bedridden and very thin, she was disoriented, dizzy, barely eating and her mouth was full of sores. The frail woman lived with her two teenage children and her grandmother who were unable to provide Elizabeth with the level of care she required. After conducting an initial assessment, our nursing sister recommended Elizabeth be transported to the local Clinic (we work hand-in-hand with many of the Clinics in Soweto) and have some tests done. She was found to be Positive with Aids (PWA) and had a very low CD4 count. The frail woman was in denial and initially refused to take her prescribed antiretroviral medication. She had Category 3 illness – the most critical level of illness. Sister Thembi and one of our Community Care Workers (CCWs) began visiting Elizabeth every other day. Slowly, while her mouth was being treated, the patient began to eat small amounts of soft food the CCW was feeding to her, and she started to take her medication. The CCW gave her bed baths and began gently massaging her tight, unused muscles. The grandmother was also shown how she could help with gentle massaging, and also how to treat her granddaughter’s oral pain. Our Social Worker began counselling the family, and the improvement in Elizabeth’s condition began to show. For a long time, the sick lady was not even able to sit due to weakness and protruding bones, but after a couple of months she was able to sit for short periods and wheeled around in a wheelchair provided by HospiceWits. Elizabeth’s condition continued to improve until she was well enough to travel to Baragwanath Hospital for extensive tests. She also saw a dietician, and was able to start eating solid food for the first time in years. The brave woman began to gain weight, her muscles strengthened and she started walking unaided! This amazing lady’s health improved in leaps and bounds, and as the photographs show, she is now well and functional. Elizabeth is now classed as having Category 1 illness, and only needs to be seen once a month. She is now able to care for her children and grandmother, and is so grateful to HospiceWits for nursing her back to good health.