Positive test results
“I am afraid we have to shut down the girls’ In Pursuit hostel. One of the girls called from home whilst on a weekend visit. She tested positive for COVID-19. The rest of the girls were exposed to her prior to the weekend visit.”
My daughter shared a room with Chipo, who tested positive. She had to take a COVID-19 test. My wife had been feeling feverish. It was a dry cough, headache, and she quickly felt out of breath. A workmate sent my wife a text message, unable to speak because she already had aphonia. That meant my wife and daughter had been exposed to someone infected by COVID-19. The test cost R875 in South Africa. I was unemployed at the time, and we were not on Medical Aid.
My wife called her cousin, who is a gynecologist, to explain our predicament. He responded quickly by sending a prescription to start treatment whilst waiting for the test results. He sent enough money for my wife and daughter to test for COVID. My son was at home because his university had resorted to remote learning. I began to have a dry cough and a faint headache. It was difficult to fall asleep. Three sick people in the house were too much to handle for me over and above unemployment. The country was on level 4 lockdown, and wearing a mask in public was mandatory. My eldest daughter was working in Dubai. She contracted COVID from a customer who was coughing very badly. The regulation in Dubai was total isolation at a hospital some 20 kilometers away from her workplace. She was given everything at the hospital.
The test results for my wife and daughter confirmed their positive status.
I called my neighbour and informed him about the situation at home. He responded by bringing a fresh loaf of bread and milk to my doorstep every other day for 2 weeks. I informed my friends from Church, and they triggered a prayer chain to support us. The dark night slowly lifted when my wife and daughter tested negative at their post-sickness check-up. About the same time, my daughter in Dubai was discharged from the hospital, and she was allowed to go back to work at the hotel. I also noticed that my wife lost weight and she was generally disoriented. We easily argued about almost anything.
A glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel
A slight relief lightened my heavy burden. A friend called me to say their company was hiring temporary workers. I quickly said he had my permission to give them my contact details. They called me that Wednesday afternoon asking me to attend an interview. I was caught off-guard and totally unprepared for an interview. The official said, “How about tomorrow morning?” “Not good for me. It’s a wedding day for my niece. I cannot reverse the arrangements.” I answered back. We agreed to have my interview on Friday the 20th of August. Before I put my phone down, the lady asked me if I had secure internet at home. She informed me that the interview would be online via Microsoft Teams. By mid-day, a contract had been emailed to me, and I started work on Monday, the 23rd of August. What a marathon of events, I thought to myself.
Type-2 Diabetes
All this did not address my wife’s loss of weight. I finally persuaded her to visit the doctor with me. A series of tests were administered using state-of-the-art technology. My wife was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Her sugar level was 22 on that particular day. The nurse recommended immediate admission to the hospital after explaining the dangers of hyperglycemia. My wife could not imagine life under the restrictive hospital bed. COVID-19 was bad enough at home. She was immediately put on treatment and asked to report for a check-up within a month. I put all the sugary or high-carbohydrate food items away, started cooking more vegetables, fish, chicken, lean meat and ensured that we had fresh fruit at home.
A month later, I took my wife to the doctor. Her sugar level had dropped to 12. The doctor encouraged her to continue taking her medicine and to walk any comfortable distance. I agreed to walk with my wife 6 kilometers every Saturday morning. Six months later, her sugar level fluctuated between 6 and 9. The doctor sent blood samples for further investigation. I was relieved to know that my wife’s kidneys were in good shape and she did not have high cholesterol in her blood. She craved the foods I had removed from her diet and secretly ate some when I was away from home. The morning glucometer reading showed a high blood sugar level, and when my wife gave a naughty smile, I knew what she had consumed. We talked about it without blaming my wife, and she fully understood the importance of exercising self-discipline to overcome hyperglycemia.
Out of financial woes
My son completed his B.Com degree and was offered a scholarship to proceed to do the honors degree. COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were now lifted over South Africa. My son had to attend lectures in person. He struggled with 3 modules to complete the honors degree and decided to work while studying. The university offered him remote teaching for first-year students, and he secured full-time employment. My daughter also completed her degree, and she was offered a job as an intern at our Church. The family was out of financial woes.
I can see the first set of letters..
My wife relaxed on the self-discipline, and her glucometer revealed those lapses. She struggled to see with her left eye and developed under-eye bags in both eyes. “I can see the first set of letters clearly, but everything else is not clear to me. It looks blurred, “ said my wife when she took ay eye test. The optometrist noticed a cataract in the left eye and referred her to an ophthalmologist who recommended surgery. My wife’s eye pressure was excessively high. She would have to undergo preliminary treatment in preparation for the eye surgery.
Conclusion:
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on my family was profound, both physically and emotionally. However, through the support of our community and our own resilience, we managed to navigate through these turbulent times. Our journey was fraught with challenges, from health scares to financial hardships, but it also brought us closer together as a family. We learned the importance of self-discipline, the value of community support, and the strength that comes from facing adversity together. As we continue to move forward, these lessons will remain with us, guiding us through whatever future challenges may come our way.
Leave a Reply