Johannes takes recovery one step at a time

HEADWAY-Natal member, Johannes Madonsela, is literally making great strides towards his dream of walking around fully unaided by the end of this year.

Madonsela suffered from a stroke; he was working as a long-distance truck driver and each time he climbed behind the wheel he was in charge of transporting loads that amassed between 20 to 30 tons. “It was a very stressful position and he was suffering from high blood pressure and was taking medication for it. I am just very thankful that he was not driving when he had his stroke,” said his wife, Gugu.

He suffered a stroke in August 2014 and it affected his left side as well as his memory. He was in a coma for two weeks and only three weeks after he woke up did his memory return. He was first admitted to City Hospital and in October of that year was transferred to Entabeni Hopsital for rehabilitation and was discharged on 24 December. “That year, my husband was my Christmas gift,” said a teary-eyed Gugu.

The hospital recommended Headway-Natal and Johannes started the road to recovery in January 2015. “He was still weak and wheelchair-bound. There was barely any movement and his left arm and leg could not move at all,” said his wife. “Since coming here there have been miracles.”

From the parking lot, there are 20 stairs that need to be climbed before reaching the front door to their home, and Gugu relied on the help of a care-giver to carry Johannes to the front door while he was wheelchair-bound. “At one point I was looking at selling our home as we did not know how long it would take for him to recover, but with the help from the therapists at Headway and his ongoing determination he can now walk up those 20 steps all on his own,” said a proud Gugu.

Johannes said that by the end of this year he is hoping to put down his walking stick for good and walk around unaided. About being out of the wheelchair, he said, “I feel great and it is more comforting to know that I can do this as it gives me independence so that I can do things by myself.”

Gugu said that she was slightly heartbroken when people visited her husband at the hospital and almost wrote him off. “He is doing so well. I can now leave him alone at home and he is able to do many things on his own again, from fixing a few things around the house to bathing himself and making a braai,” she said.

“Friends, family, church members and Headway-Natal – they are the reason we are where we are today. The equipment and the staff at the centre are top-notch. The staff are not here for the money, they are here to really help people. They are nothing but kind and loving as they have walked in our shoes over and over again and they know what we are going through,” said Gugu.

Still suffering slightly with his speech, Johannes’s face took on a look of concentration as he thought of the best words to use to thank his wife. His eyes welled with tears as he said, “I must thank my wife. The support she gives to me. I have been blessed. She has been by my side since I got sick until today.”