Good Morning Angels Festive: A new knee and more for Doris

BACKGROUND: Doris Hadebe is a 67-year old domestic worker. She lives on her own in an informal home - she has no family in Gauteng. Her daughter lives in KZN and makes the long, expensive trip to visit Doris two or three times a year. Doris is shy and doesn’t really interact with many people. She takes a taxi to work three times a week, but has to walk long distances in between. This has become very difficult over the past year, as Doris desperately needs a knee replacement. Her left leg is buckled and skew as a result of the pain in her knee, but without any support, Doris has to fend for herself and make do with the little she has. This was Doris’ reality until she met Cindy…

Cindy used to see the woman walking with difficulty, using an umbrella as a cane, next the road near her home in Johannesburg. This woman was on Cindy’s mind, when one day, she saw her walking inside the complex where she lives. Cindy stopped and offered Doris a lift … and so their friendship started. 

After hearing that Doris would have to wait until 2023 to get a knee operation in a State hospital, she took matters into her own hands.

She took Doris to her own GP, who confirmed that Doris would need a knee replacement - sooner, rather than later.

They also found a doctor in Alberton who would do the surgery, free of charge, but R40,000 would still be needed to pay for the prosthesis and consumables during the operation.

Cindy and her husband can contribute R10,000 towards Doris’ surgery, but Cindy reached out to Good Morning Angels for help with the rest.

REQUEST FOR:  67-year old Dumizile “Doris” Hadebe

REQUEST FROM: Cindy Veldsman

ANGEL 1: Cindy Veldsman and her husband André 

SPONSORING: The Veldman’s will give R10,000 towards Doris’ knee surgery

ANGEL 2: Bonnie Cooper on behalf of our fabulous festive sponsors, Romans' Pizza

SPONSORING: Romans’ Pizza will donate the remaining R30,000 needed for Doris’ knee replacement operation. Romans’ Pizza has also gifted Doris with an additional R10,000 to make her day-to-day financial burden a little lighter and to help her bring her daughter to Gauteng for Christmas.

ORIGINAL REQUEST: Dearest Jacaranda FM Good Morning Angels with Martin Team,

My husband and I can sponsor R10,000 to help the dearest little old lady, but we desperately need assistance to help with the rest of the funds that are needed to make her daily life bearable.

We stay in Edenburg, in Johannesburg and I often used to drive past a lady that was struggling to walk, making her way around with the assistance of an awkward crutch. I honestly regret to admit, as with many people, I was too scared and untrusting to stop, but one day I noticed that this same lady was walking into my complex.

I felt more comfortable to ask her if she would like a lift and over the next few months, each time I drove past dear Dumizile (or Doris, as she’s affectionately known), I’d stop and give her a lift to-and-from the house that she works at, as a domestic helper in my complex.

At the time of meeting Doris, she was using a golf umbrella as a walking stick and had the largest, hardest callus on the palm of her hand. It was a horror to see and so my husband went to the store and bought her an ‘affordable’ R250 adjustable walking stick, which was an impulse purchase for us, but certainly a luxury item for Doris. She always kept me updated on her visits to the clinic and her highly anticipated surgery to assist with her knee injury. I wasn’t quite certain what the issue was at first, but Doris has a very swollen left knee.

Last week, as I left my house on my way to work, Doris was waiting outside her place of employment and waved me down with an envelope in her hand. Long story short, after many years (I’m not entirely certain of how long) of clinic consults and referrals, pain medication, pain rubs and Panado, the hospital had given Doris a date for her surgery… in 2023…

I’ve subsequently found out that Doris is 67 years old, meaning that her surgery could only take place when she’s 71-years old. I thought that perhaps by Doris seeing a private doctor, they might be able to refer her to a different public hospital, for an earlier surgery date.

This morning I collected Doris and we went to see my private GP, Dr. Roger Player in Melrose Arch, who was an absolute star! Doris brought along her medical file and x-rays and Dr. Player confirmed (and explained to Doris) that the pad between her two leg bones has gone, meaning that the top thigh and shin bone are directly rubbing against each other... (as a layman’s description). Dr. Player gave Doris a pain injection and pain pill prescription, provided her with a much appreciated and detailed prognosis and advised that the best that he can do at this point, is to try and use his connections to arrange for pain management through physio.

Whilst calling as many medical connections as he could muster, he was advised that there is a doctor in Alberton that can provide orthopaedic surgeries for the cost of the materials only. We’re looking into this, but the surgery will cost between R30,000 – R40,000.

Doris is truly the dearest, most gentle little lady and we simply MUST see what can be done to try and get her the surgery that she so desperately needs. Her quality of life is so compromised, and a knee replacement surgery will assist her to spend the rest of her days pain-free and as mobile as she deserves. Please do consider assisting us to assist Doris and we will ALL be forever grateful!! I’m at your disposal for any further information that you require.

Thank you,

Cindy