
Early February this year 2024 my life took a different devastating turn when i received news that my female cousin same age as mine had fallen seriously ill all of a sudden.
Just like everyone else i was so shocked,shattered and sad that how can fate decide such a horrible thing to my dearly loved cousin.I remember the day i received this news from my mother it was just like every normal day,i was at work on my shift and my day was ruined because all i could think was about the welfare of my sick cousin.
I immediately organised for transport for her to be taken to a hospital that was close to me so that i will be able to visit her at the earliest that i could.Due to technical issues the transport i organised through the people that she was living with,they informed me that they needed to go to a clinic close to them so that they would be officially referred to the hospital close to me.
She was living almost an hour away from me and the area is a very remote place,i and my other cousin sister we were waiting to hear from the Pastor of my sick cousin as he was the one who had taken over that side.From around 20:00 PM evening we were anxiously waiting to hear from the doctors that were running tests on her.Time was slowly moving that day as i was so waiting to hear what was wrong.
Around 23:00 PM we were informed through a call by the Pastor that the doctors had said that she has suffered a stroke and her vein in the brain section had ruptured resulting on her losing consciousness,so they immediately prepared her to be transferred to the big hospital in the city close to where i live.
We were given the contact details of the ambulance crew that was to travel with her so that we would be on our way to the hospital as it will be getting close and that was around 00:30am morning.Due to delays they arrived around 05:00am and we were already waiting for it at the hospital.She was connected to a machine and not looking good & the look of that broke my heart 💔.

Upon arrival she was put in the ICU where she got extensive care and treatment and the sad news we received after test that were done there at the Livingstone Hospital,was that she had meningitis that had affected her brain 🧠 as it was swollen and that her pupils were very tiny.The female doctor we spoke to updated us of everything and that there were very slim chances for her to recover.
We remained hopeful and kept praying 🙏🏾 for her miracle recovery ❤️🩹 and as days went by she gained consciousness and her conscious awareness improved and she could hear us as we were talking as she moved hands and eyes to show signs of understanding us.
After like a week and few days she was transferred to the main ward but in a high life care section and there were signs of life which was something we appreciated as we were coming from a very critical phase.This other afternoon while i was at work i received a call from the doctor that was attending to her and she informed me that she was not feeling so well that day and that they had increased the medication they were giving her to fight some infections that had taken place.
As a result of her brain being affected it further affected blood circulation on her foot,so blood was no longer circulating well and this was very shattering as i had hope that she was gonna be fine.After 2 days i received news early in the morning through a call from my cousin sister that our cousin Sandra had passed on around 03:00 am.
I could not sleep after that as i was so sad and the road ahead was gonna be so challenging because i had to make sure that her body was supposed to be repatriated back home in Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 from South Africa 🇿🇦.It was a blessing because family members from all sides came through and raised money for the repatriation process and all went well until she was repatriated back home.
This was a very hard and difficult time for my family as it was heart wrenching.Going to the mortuary to identify her body and delivering her to the funeral parlour was not easy at all but it had to be done.In the process i never got time to properly grieve as the responsibility was on my shoulders to make sure that she got a proper send off home.
This experience taught me alot about life and how important family is at all times,i learnt and appreciated alot during this time.I have decided to share my story as this i feel helps me to grieve well and feel much better.
My words to all that are going through the same grieve as mine is that do not despair as the Good Lord is always with us every step of the way as we go through these difficult painful times.Never let depression consume you along the way as it can come after you but through opening up and sharing with your loved ones and those you trust,you wont go wrong.Thank you ❤️
Sandra Dube : May Her Soul Rest In Eternal Peace 🕊 🕊🕊🕊

















