04/10/2025
β¨ A Story of Courage, Compassion and Collaboration β¨
At 88 years old, Mrs. T. Cele has walked a journey of resilience that deeply moved everyone at Midlands Specialist Private Hospital.
Our first encounter with her dates back to 2023, when she was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and a multinodular goitre compressing her trachea. With the support of her daughter Phindile and the expert guidance of one of our resident Specialist Physicians, Dr. S. Sewgoolam, she managed well with CPAP therapy, and her family chose a conservative path given her age.
But in June this year, Mrs. Cele returned to us with cardiac complications and dangerously high carbon dioxide levels. What was expected to be a short admission soon became a 4-month ICU journey that tested every ounce of her strength β and the dedication of her care team.
Within the first week, she required invasive ventilation. With the expertise of Dr. D. Surajlal, she was successfully extubated after 32 days on the ventilator. What followed was a slow but determined climb back to independence:
- Thasveer, Physiotherapist, worked tirelessly to restore her mobility, starting with just sitting up in bed.
- Tanner, Occupational Therapist, guided her daily towards regaining function.
- Taskeen, Speech Therapist, gently retrained her swallow, ensuring she could sip water safely once again.
- And every single nurse at MSPH cared for her with vigilance and compassion β preventing complications, administering medication, and never allowing her spirit to be dimmed.
Through it all, Mrs. Celeβs courage and fighting spirit inspired us all. Every smile, every lifted hand, every small victory became a beacon of hope.
Yesterday, 3 October 2025, we celebrated the moment she finally went home β a testament to the power of teamwork, expertise, and above all, the human will to overcome.
From doctors and allied health professionals to our nurses, this was not just medicine at work β it was love, science, and perseverance coming together. π