Chronicle Editor
Flora Fadzai Sibanda
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MRS Sibonokuhle Mkandla (54) is one of only two females in Zimbabwe suffering from haemophilia.
There are 200 recorded cases and most of them are of men.
The other female haemophilia patient is a girl aged 12 who is in Harare.
Haemophilia is usually an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot properly.
Yesterday the Zimbabwe Haemophilia Association commemorated the World Haemophilia Day in Bulawayo.
There was a march from Mpilo Central Hospital to the city centre and during the commemoration, haemophilia patients shared their stories.
Mrs Mkandla who lives in Babourfields suburb said she was diagnosed with the condition in 2014.
She said before she was diagnosed, she went to different hospitals and consulted many traditional healers.
“I tried many doctors but they failed to stop my swelling and bleeding until I met one doctor from Bulawayo who told me I had haemophilia. I remember he told me it was a very expensive condition which also needed me to be mentally prepared. He then gave me some medication which was meant to control the swelling and the bleeding and it worked for some time. I however, became extremely sick in 2016,” she said.
Mrs Mkandla said her tongue got swollen to a point that she could not breathe properly and had to be admitted at Mpilo Central Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
She said she was later transferred to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.
Mrs Mkandla said she was told to buy an injection for US$1 000 but she could not raise the money.
She said when she had given up, the hospital authorities donated an injection that had been left by another patient.
“In 2019, it started again and this time I was bleeding in my stomach. The pain was very severe to such a point that doctors had to put me in a coma because they were afraid I might end up having a pain stroke. During that time my children were told I needed US$14 000 for another injection. My family could not raise the money but luckily for me, they heard about the Zimbabwe Haemophilia Association.
They contacted the organisation which then helped to source the injection and that’s how my life was saved,” said Mrs Mkandla.
Mr Nqobizitha Ndlovu from Pumula suburb said he remembers how he and his three siblings used to be taken to different traditional healers by his parents and the sangomas who attended to them used to say they had some “evil” in their bodies.
He said he was diagnosed with the condition when he was just two weeks old but his parents did not understand the condition hence they were taking him and his siblings who had the same condition to traditional healers.
Mr Ndlovu said his three siblings have since died because of the condition.
“I have two boys who do not have the condition. This condition is really difficult because many people believe it is as a result of witchcraft,” said Mr Ndlovu.
Ms Fiona Mpofu said her 12-year-old son was diagnosed with the condition when he was three years old.
“My son used to develop lumps on his knees when he was crawling. I never paid attention to that until he became sick and I had to take him to hospital where he was diagnosed with the condition,”she said.
The president of the Zimbabwe Haemophilia Association Mr Elliot Chintembo (40) said he has been living with haemophilia for the past 30 years.
He said he has a severe case of haemophilia and as a result he bleeds two to three times a day.
“I started vomiting blood when I was ten years old and that is when it was discovered l had haemophilia.
My parents decided to take me to Parirenyatwa Hospital and luckily enough I found a doctor who knew about this rare condition,” he said.
Mr Chintebo said having the condition is very difficult as many people do not have information on the condition hence the stigma is rife.
“As it is I am not married and I have no children because no woman wants to associate with me because of this condition. Many women fear that their children might have the same condition,” he said.–@flora_sibanda
Online Reporter