Cape Town - As we usher in the new year, we take a look back at some of the heart-warming stories which have made headlines in 2021.
We kicked off the year by bringing you the story of Chantal Erasmus, who lost her job during the Covid-19 pandemic and decided to do something about her situation. She always loved cooking and decided to open a catering business.
PlatterMania & More caters for all occasions, including corporate functions, weddings, birthdays and Christmas lunches and dinners.
The Kuils River resident also decided on a thank you gesture to frontline workers.
The initiative for the drive came after a client, Michell de Ridder, asked her to make platters for the staff at Mediclinic Cape Gate Hospital, where her husband Deon, who has since died, was in the Covid ICU ward.
However, platters were not allowed due to Covid-19 protocols. Erasmus then suggested snack boxes which consisted of three pastries and a sweet treat.
“Giving back to health-care workers stems from growing up with a mother and family members who were and still are in the industry. I know the struggles they face on a daily basis, and they are committed to their duties.
“Health-care frontline workers take care of our families who are sick in hospitals, and we have to rely on them to do their best for all patients,” she said.
We also brought you the story of how using horses as a therapeutic tool can help improve your mental health.
Brian Jacobs, a former patient at Claro Clinic, said he would always give up on a tough situation before interacting with the horses.
“When I saw the horse, I got scared and didn’t want to even touch the animal. My coping mechanism of fleeing kicked in as always. I then cleared my mind and took my emotional baggage with me to the horse, took charge and started walking with her. When the horse got stuck, I paused, took a breath, regrouped and marched forward. The horse eventually started trusting me. After the liberating therapy experience, I’ve gained more confidence in myself. I’m more mindful and assertive going into a situation,” he said.
Claro Clinic, a mental health and addiction treatment facility in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs and part of the Life Path Health Group, has incorporated the treatment into their addiction programme.
Programme manager at Claro Clinic, Annalie Nienaber, said: “All participants highlight this as a pleasant variation from their usual treatment and help them to achieve insight and a breakthrough in certain stuck points that they experience.
Psychiatrist Karien Botha and horse specialist Gail Venecourt teamed up in 2019 to create Earth Soul Connection (ESC), which offers Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP).
EAP is a three-way partnership between psychotherapist, horse and horse specialist whose job is to “read" the horse behaviour and keep things safe.
Venecourt said the horse as a psychotherapist in the EAP modality acts as a mirror to the patient's emotional status when placed in a stressful situation.
With Garden Day celebrated in October, we brought you the story of Natasha Johannes, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2015.
Johannes, from Mitchells Plain, was aware she had to make changes in her life and decided to conduct research leading her in the direction of a plant-based diet. Because she couldn’t afford it, she turned to nature and converted a dumping patch behind her home into a garden where she started growing vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and cauliflower.
Six years down the line, with chemotherapy treatments and surgery behind her, Johannes is in remission and is an avid gardener.
“When I found out I was diagnosed with colon cancer, it made me lose motivation for life, and I was traumatised and depressed. Gardening helped me with mental status, was therapeutic, helped me to forget about my pain, suffering and improved both my mental and physical health.
“It is called Garden of Hope(name of her garden) because I have so much hope for the future, eating a plant-based diet, and I want to make people aware of turning to a plant-based diet, which will improve their health," she said.
On the children’s health front, Eben Greeff spent the first 101 days of his life in hospital.
Shortly after his birth, Eben, 8, was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, a disease affecting the arteries of the lungs. Before his birth, he was also diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a defect in an unborn baby’s diaphragm.
His mother, Callista, said: “We were shocked to hear our son not only has one rare condition but a second one, with poor prognosis, if you look at statistics. However, we realised it is not in our hands and to approach the journey in hope and faith, which changes the dynamic completely.”
“We trust each other and try to lift him up and give him hope that he can do difficult things. He is brave, funny, very bright, full of jokes and loves a good laugh.”
With November being Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month, the treasurer at the Pulmonary Hypertension Association of South Africa, Sandra Small, said: “There are about 500 patients in South Africa with pulmonary hypertension, and Eben is the youngest patient on our database.”
In December, we brought you the story of Lydia Cairncross, a formidable teacher and leader at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Her passion for what she does was reflected in her recent appointment as head of general surgery at the institution where the first human-to-human heart transplant was done.
She is in charge of a highly clinical team at the Observatory-based hospital, and since being based at an academic hospital, her department is also responsible for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
Cairncross said her personal area of surgical expertise is in endocrine surgery.
“I remain involved in this clinical work for some of my time. When I am in theatre, the most common operation I am involved in is a thyroidectomy, removal of the thyroid gland for cancer or hyperfunction. Good surgical outcomes are about building functional health systems in which surgical teams can provide an integrated and holistic service,” she said.
Cairncross is the first woman of colour to be head of general surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital.
The mother of two said she would like to emphasise that her appointment is transformative not only because of what she looks like but, more importantly, the hope she brings to this important role.
Weekend Argus