Last week

Last week was a particularly hard week for all of us here at Heartfelt. So much happened and so much of it was really sad. The good news however is that Martha is feeling so much better - and I would like to say a very special thank you to everyone who said a little prayer for her and who helped Heartfelt financially to get her to the right doctors. She is slowly-slowly gaining her strength and I can see that twinkle back in her eye. We finally got to the bottom of it and found out that she had a viral infection that affected her nervous system. It has sadly left her permanently deaf in one ear- but like she says things could be worse. She is off for further tests tomorrow so I will keep you posted.

Last week was also Emanuel's four year memorial since his death (on Thursday the 11th of February). Our hearts are always a little sad at this time of year, but it made it even sadder because Martha's niece Thebogo died of meningitis on Thursday. The funeral will be at the weekend. Marth was very close to her and we are all very sad for her loss and our hears go out to her sister Rosnia whose daughter it was and the rest of the family.

Then we also found out that another one of our lovely ladies is HIV Positive. She is really scared and very stressed out but we are so proud of her for getting tested. So another reason to make sure the heartfelt ladies are well educated for the future.

So with everything going on last week we never even wished you a happy Valentine's Day.We hope that you all had a very special day with your loved ones and will keep telling them how much you love them - even if they can only hear it in one ear.

We're really worried

It’s been a really stressful time at Heartfelt this week as Martha became really ill, my worry was that she was having a stroke. She fell sick on Tuesday and we have been in and out of hospitals. The Doctor who treated her in Makapanstad, I am so convinced, is not a real doctor – you must just hear the stories! He pricked her finger, saw the blood and said that Martha was a diabetic. He kept moving the stethoscope around and around her chest instead of keeping it in one place to listen to her heartbeat. He then gave her a random injection which made her throw up 15 minutes later, four different types of pills with no names on the bottles and when she asked him ‘Dr what’s wrong with me’ he didn’t answer her, kept writing on a piece of paper, made her pay R200 and sent her on her merry way. It infuriates me to think that there are probably sick people dying that shouldn’t be dying because of him not treating them properly – but because of their remote set up he is the only one they can go to and worst of all he is making money out of them.

We landed up with Martha at the Tshwane District Hospital. Which took about 7 hours on Friday with no real results. With no medical aid, it’s a very difficult situation. All I wanted to do was get Martha into a private hospital but we sadly do not have the funding. So if anyone would like to help us please use the ‘donate’ button on our blog – it will go straight to Martha who needs to go for blood tests and to see a proper doctor. We would really appreciate the support. We are so so worried about her. The ladies have all been amazingly supportive – but the big thank you goes to Charlene her daughter who has been looking after her every day. Martha is never ever sick. So when she can’t stand up, is dizzy, has lost the hearing in her left ear and can’t keep her food down – there is definitely something seriously wrong. I just wish we knew what it was. I promise to keep you posted on her progress so please say a little prayer for her. She really needs a lot of love right now. x