The Sunday Mail
THE human heart is desperately worried about having rather than being, one philosopher once said. But for Mt Darwin’s Ms Tatenda Gwenzi, having is all she wants right now. She wants her right leg treated so that she can live a normal life again.
Her slight limp and long skirts hide the true nature of the hell she is living.
But on getting closer to her, a disturbing odour permeates. And when she lifts her skirt, you see a horribly swollen leg disfigured by a huge growth with a deep ulcer.
Accompanied by her father Mr Douglas Gwenzi, and friends Patience Chitovoro and Truth Chatendeuka, who shed tears through much of the entire interview, Ms Gwenzi narrates what brought her to this stage.
It all began with an accident in 1991 when she was still in primary school.
She was one of ten passengers in a double-cab vehicle being driven by a Catholic Priest from their Mt Darwin Central Parish.
To assist, well-wishers can use the following contacts:
Tatenda Gwenzi – +263 772 703 116;
Douglas Gwenzi – +263 772 660 330;
Patience Chitovoro – +263 774 055 890; and
Truth Chatendeuka – +263 0737 490 579.
The car lost balance on the gravel road and a passenger panicked and jumped out of the vehicle.
The other passengers screamed to the driver that someone had jumped out of the moving vehicle and he tried to stop the car.
“As he attempted to turn, he hit a rock and the vehicle overturned leaving him dead and others with minor injuries,” Ms Gwenzi says.
She was to be hospitalised for two months with serious injuries to her right leg as doctors recommended skin grafting.
“I was told that I needed to wear tight fitting shoes like tennis shoes so that my foot would retain its shape. During that period it really seemed to be working until I finished O-Level.
“I suddenly developed a small wound under my right foot. At times it would seem like it had subsided and healed, then I would cease to worry,” the mother of two says.
In 1997 she got married, with all seemingly well.
The true horror was to come in 2004.
“The leg outwardly was normal but in 2004 it began to bring out pus with a heavy odour. It then started swelling bit by bit, blisters coming out while the outer skin also turned rough.
“Then the wound began to get deeper. The first day I consulted doctors they said I had cancer and they referred me to Parirenyatwa Hospital saying I should undergo chemotherapy.
“When I went to Parirrenyatwa the doctor told me to return the following day for chemotherapy. But the following day while on the stretcher on my way to the theatre, the doctors began arguing with each other over my condition.
“Some said it was not cancer and they eventually agreed that it was a skin infection. That changed everything and I was then referred to a specialist of skin infections (name supplied),” she says.
At the specialist’s surgery, Ms Gwenzi was told she had skin tuberculosis, a disease she and her accompanying brother had never heard of.
Many people, too, would not be familiar with it.
She was referred to Wilkins Hospital where she was told that indeed she had skin TB which could have been due to the long exposure of her wound to infection.
For six months she was on TB treatment.
“I used to hear that people with TB have lots of appetite but I never felt that.
“I was then tested for Kaposi’s sarcoma and the results were negative. This was at a private hospital.
“Though swollen and without pain, it seemed like the wound had healed.
“So after getting some antibiotics I returned home. But then again the wound began spreading and getting deeper.”
The following year brought another seismic shift in her life.
“One night while sleeping I felt an excruciating pain . . . When I woke up to examine and clean underneath my foot I saw a huge worm coming out of the wound.
“Then more worms started wriggling their way out of the wound.
“I panicked but accepted the situation I had. With further consultation from a private hospital I met a dermatologist who invited me to his surgery offering a free service.
“But when I got there I was heartbroken when he – a specialist – said he didn’t know what condition this was.
He just said it was a rare case. I left with a prescription . . . not knowing that it was just a pain killer.
“Up to today I have visited about seven private health institutions but there is no explanation to what this problem is,” Ms Gwenzi sighs.
Somewhere along the line, her marriage fell apart with in-laws complaining about a “crippled” daughter-in-law.
“We didn’t stay together for long but we kept communicating. With time he went silent and that was the end. I am now staying in my father’s house.”
Painkillers are her only medications as she moves around with a bag of bandages.
The 36-year-old has to change bandages at least five times a day or sometimes leave the wound exposed to fresh air.
When she visits people’s homes she takes the initiative to spray air fresheners and lightly let them know she has a wound whose bad smell might disturb them.
Ms Gwenzi has developed back pain due as she puts inordinate pressure on the left side of her body.
The right foot also tends to bleed when she walks.
Though she wears size seven shoe, she has to get a larger one to fit her right foot.
Having heard that people are getting assistance in countries like India, Ms Gwenzi is hopeful.
“I have been told that I can access help in India especially when the leg has not be tampered with that much. So that is the information and assistance I desire to have.
“When the initial accident happened there was a Catholic priest who used to assist with paying my medical bills. But he eventually left without my knowledge.”
Born in a family of four, Ms Gwenzi abandoned her temporary teaching job when her condition deteriorated and she now relies on her father – a pensioner.
Her mother is abroad taking care of another sibling with a mental health problem.
Chitovoro says it’s not easy for her friend, but she remains of good cheer.
“She is a happy person but the fact is she also gets affected with the condition.
“We also encourage her to pray and we also try often to get better shoes with a shape that suits her left foot now and again,” Chitovoro says.
Ms Gwenzi chips in: “At times I just cry then I feel relieved. I ask why God is keeping me alive. There has to be a reason why. I believe it will work out.”
Her other friend Chatendeuka tearfully adds: “When she starts complaining of the pain there is nothing you can do to help her. It’s difficult to accept a condition you have not been born with.”
Her father speaks of the ongoing struggle.
“We have even gone to traditional healers, even to Prophet Magaya but nothing has worked until (Education) Minister (Lazarus) Dokora suggested we come here. I am struggling with bills and even when the pain is serious at night I struggle with her. So I don’t have peace, my child should be helping me as a pensioner.”
Using his past experience as a nurse, Mr Gwenzi can tell when the leg is filled with pus and requires attention from doctors.
He has also instructed his daughter to soak the leg in salty water three or four times daily. For now, that is what they can afford.
For Ms Gwenzi, a person with healthy legs is more blessed than one with expensive shoes.
“When you have legs you are blessed, shoes are a secondary issue.”
To assist, well-wishers can use the following contacts:
Tatenda Gwenzi – +263 772 703 116;
Douglas Gwenzi – +263 772 660 330;
Patience Chitovoro – +263 774 055 890; and
Truth Chatendeuka – +263 0737 490 579.
