Anne

The Hope Centre Clinic opens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays here in Zandspruit. It is a one-stop-shop for people with chronic illness in the community to get treated for either hypertension or diabetes alongside other day to day illness. Recently I had an opportunity to catch up with a few people in the clinic as they waited to be seen by the nurses and will be reporting back via this blog on the individual experiences of these people:
 

The first lady I spoke to was Anne. Anne is 65 years old, and lives alone in Zandspruit after her husband passed away. She runs her own business ‘it is gas cylinders’ she tells me, ‘I exchange empty ones for full ones, just a little gas stove shop but it helps me to pay for my food and things’.

Anne came to the clinic today for a referral letter because she is moving tomorrow from Zandspruit to a new home in West Rand. She explained to me how she came to attend the Hope Clinic, the problems she faces in her community and why she is here today:

‘On the day I saw a screening tent in the street, I was not feeling well at all. I felt this day I had to die, so I thought I will sit down at this tent to die. A man sitting at the tent said to me ‘’go and see the nurses at Project Hope’’ they honestly saved my life. My BP was very high, 198 over something, I can’t remember what it was but they told me it was dangerously high. I didn’t even know there was a clinic here, but it made my day and they saved my life.

My husband died a couple of years ago, and you know there are a lot of problems being a widow and being old. People discard you and do not want to know you. Conditions are a problem here in Zandspruit. For example for a long time a man has walked across my shack roof and my neighbours every night, and I am afraid. He hasn’t tried to come in but it makes me think about the way I am living and my future. After coming to the Hope clinic and getting well I decided that I had a future and did not have to live like this.

Sometimes there are things you want to talk about, you keep them here in your chest, but there is no one to listen, so you keep it to yourself. One time I came here to the Hope clinic a member of the team was kind to me and I opened up about my problems. I have such high regard for the people here, because they have time for patients. No-one else would listen to me, and I'm sure it helped me feel better.

I wished to get out of Zandspruit and because I had my health back I was able to feel strong enough to think about the future. Today I am looking for a referral letter because I am going to stay in town for good. A long drive in to West Rand.

They are very helpful here. I wish that there will be a Hope clinic where I am moving to. Other clinics have no time for patients, you feel that they don’t want to talk to you. How can they help you when they don’t even want to talk about what is wrong?

Where I am going, the weather is hotter and there is little water, the home is small but it is better than a corrugated shack. Maybe my blood pressure will get right’.