Belinda Trenti, Somerset West
My gran, Winnie Desmarais, will be 101 on October 26.
Winnie is in the frail care unit at Bridgewater Manor in Somerset West.
She has had breast cancer for some time, which we have opted not to treat.
She was the second patient in the frail care to contract Covid-19, and was put into quarantine for two weeks, alone in her bedroom, apart from a doctor and carers watching over her, taking her vitals every few hours.
She lost her appetite and the carers put her on Ensure to help her with her nutrition.
She has since tested negative and is allowed back into the communal lounge and dining room where she can see her friends, and my family are now allowed to visit her sitting in a separate room, but are able to see her through the glass and speak to her via a telephone.
I’ve included a picture of my gran – I hope it brings hope and strength to your readers. If my gran can beat this, so can you.
I also think that this is a testimony to how incredible the nursing staff at frail care centres are.
During the lockdown, no one in my family could visit my gran, they could not smile at her, hold her hand, or hug her.
But the nurses did. They hugged my gran when we could not.
That is truly loving your neighbour and I for one am so grateful that my gran has not died yet – that she did not have to die alone – there was always someone by her side.
