A few months ago, the Vryheid Herald told the heart-wrenching story of Samantha Hayes. Samantha underwent three amputations on her legs and a quadruple heart bypass. She is now facing a fourth amputation, all within a year’s time. Samantha tells her story: “Six weeks ago, we started to struggle with the wound. The pain is excruciating. I don’t sleep for more than 40 minutes each night. I can’t put my leg on the bed; it has to dangle because of the vascular issues. I asked Wound Care to take a swab of my wound, because I just knew that something was wrong. The results came back and they indicated that I had contracted a super-bug somewhere. This resulted in me having to take medication to the value of approximately R10,000, excluding the wound care costs.” Dr Islam, Samantha’s vascular surgeon, did a sensitivity test and it was discovered that she can only use one of two kinds of antibiotics for the super-bug. The one antibiotic is very damaging to the kidneys, which Sammy can’t afford at this stage, being a diabetic. She was admitted to hospital a week ago and they have started her on antibiotics. Unfortunately, Sammy’s body is now drug-resistant and the antibiotics made no difference. Due to these unfortunate circumstances, Sammy has to undergo another amputation on her leg. The doctor can only determine the extent of the amputation once he opens up the wound in surgery. Samantha breaks into tears while telling how she has to face a fourth amputation. This is emotionally draining on both her and her family. She tearfully continues: “I can’t see my people, I can’t see my family, I have to get through this and start the healing process all over again. I have to be positive that the wound will heal this time around. I appreciate everything that every single person in town is doing for me. I couldn’t imagine a year ago that I would have four amputations and a quadruple heart bypass.” Sammy pauses for a while when her emotions and tears completely overwhelm her, but she regains her composure and continues: “Even though I cry because I am so very tired of the pain, I know that I have God holding my hand. And He will never leave me because my faith saved my life. I pray for Wednesday (March 23) to come so I can just get rid of the pain. They will leave my wound open again, which is extremely painful in itself. I believe God has a purpose for me, even in this hospital, and He will open other doors for me. I have amazing support from my family, friends and the community at large.” Samantha is currently in isolation at Enthabeni Hospital, where they daily wash her wound in acid; this is another very painful procedure. This is to prevent the super-bug from spreading to the rest of her body.
Cindy Mossop is Sammy’s cousin and has initiated a fund-raiser to help cover Samantha’s medical expenses. Cindy sells orange bows for R10 that people can wear every Wednesday during April, which is also Limb Loss Awareness Month. All the proceeds will be paid towards Sammy’s pharmacy account. The family is in dire need of donations to provide Sammy with the best possible medical care, as well as aftercare. Cindy can be contacted on 082 877 4966 to order a bow. Any other donations are welcome and can be deposited into a special account which was opened for her medical expenses only. The account details are: S Hayes, Tymebank, Savings Account Number 51037245688, Branch Code 678910.
The word ‘unbroken’ has a very special meaning to Sammy. “Vir my beteken dit dat al het ek my bene verloor en is ek gebreek, kies ek om ‘unbroken’ te leef en awerness te create en dat dit my nie sal define nie. My hart en verstand is nie gebreek nie.” Sammy is the definition of strength. Even though she gets understandably emotional, tired and discouraged, she has faith, determination and a fighting spirit that would leave most people speechless. Vryheid is praying for you, Sammy…
The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
