COVID-19 and lung transplant survivor Mbali: "I'm enjoying every single moment of just being alive"

Mbali shares her story

When my gynae told me I needed to be admitted I thought it was just a precaution so that I could be monitored for my two weeks of isolation. I'd had a persistent headache and cough but I quickly deteriorated and developed serious breathing problems. The doctors tried a whole range of treatment but nothing worked, and on 1 December my gynae told me he'd booked me in for an emergency C-section as my baby wasn't getting enough oxygen - and that it was happening now! This was very traumatic as I was completely unprepared and the last thing I remember was being awake during her delivery at the Netcare Park Lane Hospital. And then waking up in February at the Netcare Milpark Hospital!

Where is my baby?

I had no idea that I'd been in a coma for so long or whether my baby had made it or not as she'd been born so early. My husband Sizwe kept telling me that she was happy and healthy at home, that she didn't have COVID-19 and that she was growing every day.I didn't believe him - all I wanted was to see for myself. I was dealing with so many emotions - frustration, anger and tears - and I was desperate to meet my child. The doctors refused to allow it as my immune system was badly compromised so it was far too risky. I was in bad shape mentally, and physically I was even worse. Before COVID-19 I'd jogged regularly and skipped every day after work: now I could barely move. After all those months in bed my body felt frozen, almost paralysed from the neck down, and I could do absolutely nothing for myself.

A gift of life

When Sizwe told me I needed a lung transplant, I welcomed the opportunity as my chance of survival - I'd been dealing with so many doubts about ever getting well. I had the transplant two weeks after waking up, and was told by my doctors that it was a great success. I had the most amazing team of medical professionals I really trusted looking after me, and their positive attitude and energy was very encouraging and uplifting. So was the tremendous support I received from family and friends. Being a member of Discovery Health Medical Scheme also played a big part as they worked behind the scenes to ensure that everything went smoothly. They authorised the transplant without delay when it was literally a matter of life and death as well as the expensive monthly medication that's essential for my health.

Becoming a mom - finally!

Meeting Kuhle very briefly for the first time when she was three months old was quite overwhelming and encouraged me to work even harder on my journey to recovery. It's been slow but steady with a couple of hiccups along the way, but I'm getting there. I went home at the end of March and became a mother full time, which gives me the greatest joy. Today, I'm filled with gratitude for my precious second chance and enjoy every single moment of just being alive!

What her doctors say

When Mbali was brought to Netcare Milpark Hospital shortly after she'd had her baby, she was in serious danger, explains pulmonologist intensivist Dr Paul Williams. "We immediately escalated her care as both her lungs were affected from top to bottom with pneumonia". Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Martin Sussman says Mbali was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which is essentially an artificial lung. "The circuit does the work of the lungs and that's how we kept Mbali alive. One of the complications of COVID-19 is that it sometimes damages the lungs extensively, and in Mbali's case this damage was irreversible so her only chance of survival was to receive a donor lung."

A South African first

Commenting on what appears to be a first for South African medicine, Dr Williams, who along with Dr Sussman led the lung transplant team performing Mbali's surgery, says lung transplantation itself is a rare procedure for patients with established lung disease such as cystic fibrosis and other conditions. It's done only after all other treatments for lung failure are unsuccessful. "COVID-19 is a new one for us. We've had no experience in transplantation with this virus and we are fairly sure that we are the first team in South Africa to do it - perhaps even the first team on the African continent. Throughout the world there have been only around 100 lung transplants performed so far for COVID-19 pneumonia at a handful of facilities. To be able to do a transplant on this young mom was really something special and making this kind of difference was an immense honour for us all."

Watch her story below: