Velindie February’s life changed in an instant when a case of conjunctivitis caused her corneas to melt, leaving her without sight in July 2018.
Today, 40 operations later, Velindie is still without her sight. Of these 40 procedures, seven were cornea transplants, each of which failed to restore her vision.
To cure the corneal melts, Velindie received her first treatment on July 26, 2018, which was an amniotic membrane transplant.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t successful, they kept trying different procedures. But nothing was successful. There was a waiting period after each procedure to recover before the next attempt,” she said.
Three months later, the 43-year-old had her first cornea transplant on her left eye.
“It was a daunting experience to realise that someone died and their cornea was going to be mine. At the same time, I saw it as something bringing new life to my situation,” she said.
The failure of some of the procedures caused setbacks and complications leading to more surgical procedures.
Her husband Dale said his wife had also contracted glaucoma over the years.
“Sometimes the stitches of the corneal transplant are loosened, causing it to leak into the eye. The glaucoma meant that tubes had to be inserted,” he said.
“There was pressure on the optic nerve which is the riskiest part because once that is impacted, it cannot be fixed.”
Velindie’s recent procedure in April uncovered an issue within her immune system, which caused the transplants to fail.
Dale said for the cornea to heal, a transparent layer forms over the cornea.
“Once it is sealed off, it has a higher chance of growing. For that layer to grow, stem cells are needed (but) due to all the transplants she’s already done, there are no stem cells left for that to happen,” he added.
“This can be fixed via a stem cell transplant but unfortunately that is not available in South Africa. It is only available in London, Australia and the US.”
Velindie’s biggest obstacle is that the care she needs is not available in South Africa. Her ophthalmologist in Cape Town advised the mother of two to seek treatment at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
An ophthalmologist at Moorfields who specialises in cases like Velindie’s has agreed to see her and assist in restoring her sight.
Velindie has received a date for November to fly out to London with her husband for a consultation and treatment.
Kleinbosch couple said while their medical aid has assisted them, the fact that it is depleted by May each year, expect for hospitalisations, has put a strain on their finances.
“Our medical expenses not covered by the medical aid for the last financial year was R60 000. The amount was similar for the other years,” Dale said.
The duo have started a BackaBuddy account to raise R500 000 to cover their trip to London and some of the medical expenses.
“We have been told that the consultation will cost us £300 (R6 147.) and the cornea transplant costs £15 000 per eye (307 365,45),” Dale said.
“However, we don’t know what procedures she will need after the initial consultation and investigation. We have been told that various tests will be necessary and each test will be billed separately,” he added.
“The immune treatment she needs is estimated around R160 000, and Velindie will require a few rounds of this treatment.”
Velindie said her faith and her family’s support has keep her sane over the last four years.
“My faith keeps me going. God has placed a lot of amazing people on our path. My parents, Lorraine and Vivier Nel, moved in with us just over a year ago to help us. The support we have is amazing and giving up is not an option.”
“There are many things I can’t do with my children. I can’t build puzzles or go to the park and play with them but I will continue to be as present as possible.”
Another Capetonian struggling with medical care for her condition is activist and writer Nadine Dirks, 26, who was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis seven years after first presenting with symptoms as a teenager.
“It was only after they discovered a mass on my right ovary that needed to be removed, that they spotted the endometriosis and how extensive it was,” she said.
Since, she’s had seven surgeries.
“I have had three laparotomies, three laparoscopies and two other surgeries on my kidney, bladder and bowels,” she said.
“I had to have my kidney pipe reimplanted into my bladder because of the severity of the endometriosis,” she added.
Dirks said the journey had been difficult as the longer it took her to be diagnosed, the worse her condition became.
Since her diagnosis, she received medical treatment at public health-care system.
“Public health care doesn’t provide you with the (option) as to how you want things done, there is no choosing involved,” she added.
“I found it to be very disempowering because even when I raised concerns about my symptoms, it was seen as complaints.”
Dirks said her experience with the private sector provided her with a better experience for medical needs after she joined a medical scheme last year.
South African Medical Association (SAMA) vice-chairperson, Dr Edward Ngwenya conceded that there was a large skills drain in the country’s medical sector which led to patients seeking care elsewhere.
“Specialists are leaving the country and this shortage is felt most in the public sector.
“A survey should be done to ascertain the direct reason why South African citizens need to access healthcare abroad,” he said.
“While South African doctors and hospitals are not allowed to market themselves based on medical intervention capabilities, the doctors and hospitals in other countries can.
“Individuals who can afford to go to other countries will therefore leave to seek treatments that have been marketed to them without knowing that the medical intervention can be done equally well in South Africa.”
The association’s chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said while they acknowledged that there were challenges in the public health system, there were still available avenues.
“We believe that the private health system still offers a comprehensive suite of services to South Africans who can afford to pay,” he said.
Mzukwa said the country still had experts who offered sophisticated treatment at a lower price than other countries.
“In-vitro fertilisation costs R225 000 in the USA, R154 000 in the UK and only R70 000 in South Africa.
“The sophisticated skills, high quality of care in the private sector, and lower costs relative to the global north made South Africa the only country in Africa that has been ranked in the top 30 medical tourism destinations in the world.”
Weekend Argus
Keshia Africa
