Cape Town - The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted virtually all spheres of people’s lives, and for one woman it’s meant postponing the prospect of getting of a new heart.
Jamie Waller, 25, was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and is among many patients who have to wait longer to get a donor, because of the pandemic.
“I was diagnosed with this condition in 2019 after going to hospital for pneumonia,” she said.
The bubbly Waller said she was diagnosed just eight months into a new job. She was told that her heart was failing and she had to stay in hospital for treatment.
“As I was being discharged while taking a shower, I fell and suffered a stroke while preparing to get dressed,” she said.
She was told she needed a heart transplant at the beginning of last year. Waller said she was then put on the list of those who needed transplants but then Covid-19 kicked in, which meant delays.
“I was told it is risky at the moment for me to get a transplant because of Covid-19,” said Waller.
She said her heart had to be cut so a pump can be put in to help it. She now goes around with two batteries which assist the pump to function.
Waller said even if she were to get a donor, she still needs to heal first before the transplant, and currently there are no doctors performing the procedure.
“It has been a horrible experience for me because I was independent, living in my own flat but now I’m back at home being looked after by my mother 24/7,” she said.
Waller said because of Covid-19, someone with her condition will not get a transplant because they need to take medication if they get sick which the body may reject.
She also needs a donor who would have to be a match and even if that happens, she can’t look for a job at the moment because she has to heal after the transplant.
The Organ Donor Foundation said in a statement that there had been a sharp increase in death of patients needing urgent transplants in South Africa, due to Covid-19.
Because of the high risk of Covid-19 infections, transplants in the country have had to be stopped.
“Elective transplants make up 50% of the total number of transplants performed in South Africa each year. However, these patients still qualify for deceased donor transplants.
’’Sadly, deceased donor transplants have also dramatically declined as a result of the infectious nature of Covid-19 and the impact it has on specialist services, such as ICUs.’’
Weekend Argus