CAPE TOWN- A Cape Town doctor and Covid-19 survivor has shared her experience of self-isolation and how her parents cared for her in a loving and humorous way.
Dr. Leila Amien shared a compilation video on Facebook showing how her friends and family fed her, medicated her and ensured she stayed well entertained.
Amien who works in the Covid-19 ward as a first year intern at Tygerberg Hospital said that while the virus can be one of the scariest diagnoses for many people and families, she wanted to give people a bit of hope and laughter by sharing her experience.
“I have never seen so much strength and bravery in two people before, especially two old ballies. Parents are the best of carers, and mine were the true frontline heroes in my battle," she said.
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While Amien said her experience of battling Covid-19 was no laughing matter, her parents were hilarious while coping with her diagnosis.
The Amien family who lives in Rondebosch East made sure to make the daughter of the house feel comfortable during her recovery.
“We have this trolley at home called the ‘Covid trolley’ and every day 4 times a day, they knock on my door, push this trolley packed with food in my room and sprint back out again and every day I try to time it perfectly to open the door while they’re still putting the food on just to watch them run for their lives,” she said.
While the whole household had to be under quarantine, Amien said that it was amazing to see how her family and friends stepped in to do grocery runs, dropped off bags of food and sent home cooked meals.
“My parents didn’t once show sadness or fear from the moment I was sick right up until the moment I no longer had symptoms. Even though I know every part of their being was frightened, they tried to show me what bravery looked like in the face of a very uncertain condition,” she explained.
When Amien realised that she lost her sense of smell and taste she called on her parents to line up some strong smelling and tasting foods to perform her own Covid-19 smell test.
“The funny part though, is before I told my mom that I lost my sense of taste, her food presentation was immaculate. However, after I told her about my loss of taste, it seemed like the food standards had deteriorated because she knew I couldn’t taste it anyway.”
“I need to let the World Health Organisation know that the Amien household has tried every herbal and home remedy out there and can confirm that it doesn’t help much but it gives parents a peace of mind at least,” she said.
Amien recognises that the coronavirus may be very serious in some cases, especially for people with comorbidities or immune compromised individuals.
“I joke, prank and mess around a lot, but Covid-19 is very real and hardly a joke. It is very scary and I pray that no one experiences it.”
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