WITH great gusto and determination, one Pinetown woman ensured her entire retirement home was singed up to receive the much-anticipated Covid-19 vaccination.
The 92-year-old powerhouse that is Betty Beach said she has kept a keen eye and ear out for any news on vaccinations and, when the president announced that it was the elderly who were on top of the priority list, she was quick to make her move.
“The next morning, a few residents from Fairydene Retirement Village called the office and wanted to know about how we would be going about signing up for the vaccination. Information was not forthcoming, so I decided to take it upon myself to get it sorted. I sat here on my couch thinking what I could do, and then I came up with the idea for a notice,” she said.
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To kick off her campaign, a determined Beach created a sign up sheet and placed it onto the general notice board at the home.
“I asked if they wanted to be registered to be vaccinated and, by the end of the first day, the list was fill. I replaced it with a new sheet the following day,” she said.
With both sheets brimming with eager recipients, Beach spent an entire Saturday making contact with each person on the list while her carer, Lyn Muthwa, collected their contact details to add to the form.
With her ducks in a row, she contacted the Pinetown Civic Centre and notified them of her intention.
“I said we had 120 people that wanted to be vaccinated and the team then arrived last Monday. Each of the residents here that were put onto the list were vaccinated. So many people thanked both myself and Lyn for taking the time out of our day for doing it. Honestly, I am just glad that everybody at the village has been vaccinated,” said Beach.
As someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 and felt the effects of the disease, Beach said it was the least she could do.
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“I spent three weeks in hospital battling the disease. It was awful,” Beach said, describing her time battling the disease. I had no energy. I could hardly walk as you feel like your legs don’t belong to you. I was in the hospital and I thought to hell with it, I’m not going to die here! When my carer brought me out from the hospital, I don’t think she thought I would make it, that’s how bad it was.”
Beach has been at the retirement home for more than 20 years and described it as ‘God’s waiting room’.
“We should be looking out for each other and looking after each other. It makes me feel better knowing that I have done my part,” she smiled.
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