Top student masters TB hell
NMMU dietetics graduate rejoices
LYING in a hospital bed fighting for her life, Ingrid Oxley would never have believed that tuberculosis would change her life for the good – and contribute to her becoming NMMU’s first ever masters in dietetics graduate this month.
In 2011 while working as a dietician at a public hospital in Port Elizabeth, 30-year-old Oxley contracted tuberculosis (TB). After completing the treatment, she was cured of TB. However, she was hospitalised the very next year displaying TB symptoms again, this time more severe. Tests revealed she had pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR TB).
Now a junior lecture in NMMU’s dietetics department, Oxley spent 75 days in hospital, a month in ICU and at one stage slipped into a coma due to liver failure from the TB medication.
“My family was advised to travel from Pretoria to say goodbye to me but people were praying for me and I miraculously awoke from the coma.”
The two years that followed proved to be very challenging for Ingrid. Weighing a mere 47kg, she was often too weak to walk and became dependent on her husband Jonathan, her friends and family to care for her.
Her 24-month long treatment, which consisted of nearly 30 different medications per day, had side-effects which often made her very ill.
“I felt like a massive wave had crashed over me. I don’t think a healthy person could ever imagine how it feels. Sometimes I think to myself, did this really happen?”
Oxley gave up her job working at state hospitals and was later employed as a part-time research assistant to NMMU research associate Dr Liana Steenkamp.
“Dr Steenkamp was amazing – she gave me a fresh start. I couldn’t walk or drive so she brought the work to me in the flat. She ignited my love for research and I am so grateful for the opportunities she gave me.”
Dr Steenkamp encouraged Oxley to pursue her masters. Ingrid rose to the challenge and in 2014 she began her thesis: “Knowledge, attitudes and experiences of dieticians in relation to tuberculosis at the workplace.”
“My TB journey is precious to me. It’s very humbling to be so dependent and weak but, strangely, I’m glad it happened to me – now I can relate to a massive portion of the South African population. If it was so tough for me and I had resources and strong support from family, how difficult must it be for the poor and marginalised?”
Oxley belongs to an organisation called TB Proof, where health workers aim to break down the stigma of TB. They encourage people with symptoms to get tested – the sooner treatment is started, the safer your loved ones will be.
“Sitting in my wheelchair after I finished the treatment, I never thought life would be so good. It’s just incredible when you realise just how much you have to be grateful for.”
Oxley uses her experience to encourage her students to show empathy for the patients they will care for.
NMMU has expanded its training to address the urgent needs in support of the nation’s healthcare demands. This year also marks the graduation of NMMU’s first dietetics students.
