When Yvette Rosenberg, a go-getting function coordinator, suddenly fell ill in December 2015, she had no idea of the long-term consequences and rehabilitation that lay ahead. She remembers thinking on the day that she could still make her event that evening and put her symptoms down to end of year stress and fatigue. She was diagnosed with Hepatitis A and subsequent kidney and liver failure, resulting in a month in hospital where at times she did not think she would make it.
Following discharge, Yvette thought that the worst was over and she was looking forward to being back at home with her daughter and returning to work. Support of hospital staff, friends and family had been her lifeline during this time. Unfortunately, soon after her medical ordeal, Yvette developed a condition called calciphylaxis. She required a number of surgical procedures to her lower limbs along with parallel pain management regimes. Following one of her pain management procedures, Yvette never regained feeling in her right foot and was left with a permanent disability called “drop-foot.”
One of the most significant challenges for Yvette was transport and she has had to rely on her daughter, colleagues and friends to get to work, appointments and run errands. “I have always been a self-sufficient woman so having to rely on others has not been easy,” Yvette says. She realizes how much confidence she has lost in herself after not being mobile an independent for over two years.
Following a driving assessment at Stellenbosch University’s Occupational Therapy Department, Yvette was given hope to know that she could drive again provided that she drives an automatic car with an adaptation to the accelerator and brake pedals. This adaptation will allow her to drive using her left foot.
She is grateful to her support network and that her employer kept her position until she was ready to return to work. Without having her own transport, Yvette could not resume her role completely for the NGO, so driving has been one of her greatest goals.
How well-timed to see Yvette back on the road during March, International Women’s Month. She is looking forward to resuming her work to full capacity despite her physical challenges. Nicky’s Drive is proud to have been able to assist Yvette with her #DreamToDrive by sponsoring her car adaptations. Travel safely, Yvette!