Good Morning Angels follow-up: Sharlene can walk again!
“I heard someone screaming ‘be careful’ and the next moment, I was flying through the air.”
Sharlene Coopoosammy from Pretoria West had her life changed in the blink of an eye when she was run over by a bus in October 2019.
The 37-year-old has been bedridden ever since the horrific ordeal.
This morning she showed us how her mobility has improved since her Angels - Operation Healing Hands and Accident Angels - assisted her with life-changing medical interventions.
READ: Good Morning Angels: A bus accident victim gets her life back as the Angels come together
BACKGROUND: 37-year-old Sharlene Coopoosammy from Proclamation Hill in Pretoria West has the un-enviable distinction that she lives to tell the tale after being hit by a municipal bus. The accident happened in the Pretoria CBD in October 2019, as Sharlene was on her way to work at a sweet shop in the city. She clung to life and after five months of care in the State Hospital, went home. The wound care was excellent, with skin-grafts that heeled well. However, her pelvis, broken in three places and dislocated hip, were never mended. Because of the lack of surgery, Sharlene’s hip grew back out of the socket, and she could not bend. The tendons in her legs shortened and her feet were pointed, which made it impossible for her to walk on. As a result, Sharlene was bedridden for more than two years - unable to support herself and her pensioner mom, Sylvia Naidoo. The State Hospital advised that it would be years before she would get the necessary surgery and pain management was all they could assist with in the meantime.
Sharlene’s biggest wish is to be able to work and earn a living again. Her job at the sweet shop is still available to her, as soon as she’s mobile again. “I moved in with my mom to take care of her. But, for the past two years she’s been taking care of me like a baby. I can only use my arms and my mom has to do everything else for me. Our neighbour and friends have been amazing and they assist where and how they can, but I want to be able to live and take care of my mom myself.”
But, her stars changed when she was on Good Morning Angels on Wednesday 31 March 2021.
ANGEL 1: The Operation Healing Hands team assessed Sharlene to determine what treatment and surgery she needed to get her back on her feet. She has since received a procedure to straighten her feet as well as an intricate operation to straighten her pelvis as well as reconstruct and replace her hip joint. All the doctors and medical personnel provided their time, skill and services free of charge.
ANGEL 2: Trevor Case and the team at Accident Angels paid the R300,000 needed for theatre time, hospital stay, meds and consumables needed during Sharlene’s surgeries, to ensure that she gets the best medical treatment possible. Trevor will also assist with the services of a biokineticist for rehab after Sharlene’s operations.