I beat the odds and survived

"After completing my articles, my father advised me to start investing and saving for retirement. He referred me to his broker, Marietjie de Jager," says Tahlita.

A good thing he did! "I've been a Discovery Life client since 2014," she adds. "I'm also a Vitality member. I became very conscious about eating healthily and avoiding foods with preservatives or added salt. I was generally leading an active lifestyle too."

"Marietjie explained the Capital Disability, Income Continuation and Severe Illness Benefits to me and how important it is to take these out while a person is young." Luckily, Tahlita did.

"I was aware of a general increase in various cancers and lifestyle-related illnesses and that motivated me to take out this kind of insurance on my policy. Honestly though, I didn't think anything would happen to me at such a young age."

"I HAD A SORE THROAT AND WAS STRUGGLING TO BREATHE - WE THOUGHT I HAD COVID-19"

"On 20 May 2021, Chris (my fiancé) took me to the emergency room (ER). I had a sore throat and was struggling to breathe."

At the time, South Africa was grappling with the third wave of the pandemic. This meant that Tahlita had to be admitted on her own to safely receive proper medical examination and treatment.

"I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE AND VERY AGGRESSIVE FORM OF LEUKAEMIA"

"While in hospital, I was diagnosed with ALL - acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - and at the time of my admission, it had caused septicaemia. It was affecting my heart function and was one of the underlying reasons why I was struggling to breathe."

While in the ER, Tahlita went into septic shock, and she experienced cardiac arrest. "The septic shock caused an abrupt loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness," she explains.

Tahlita was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. "This machine takes over the function of your heart," Tahlita explains. "Blood is pumped outside of your body to this heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide. It then sends oxygen-filled blood back to the tissues in your body. It's similar to the machines used during open heart surgery, like heart transplants," she adds.

"This was done to give my heart a chance to rest and recover. I was extremely lucky to have had the assistance of this machine as I was told that there are only two of them for adult treatment in South Africa; and the one was at the hospital I went to."

"I received dialysis as my kidneys were failing due to insufficient blood flow. I also suffered liver damage for the same reason."

"A tracheostomy was done to assist my breathing. This is an opening that is created at the front of your throat so that a tube can be inserted into your windpipe [trachea] to help you breathe. It was connected to a ventilator."

Tahlita was sedated (placed in an induced coma) and stayed in that state for five weeks.

Once they stabilised her, hospital staff contacted her fiancé and her mother to tell them what was going on. Her parents flew up to Pretoria from the coast the very next day.

"My mother was allowed to visit me briefly." Tahlita told us that after her mother visited her in the ICU, a nurse asked her if she had spent enough time with her daughter. Tahlita's mother later realised that the nurse had meant 'for the last time'. "The doctors did not think I would survive the night," Tahlita adds.

Tahlita's medical team also told her loved ones that had she arrived at the ER just half an hour later, she probably would not have survived. "The fact that I did, is truly a miracle and proves that there is power in prayer," she says.

Once her medical team was ready to wake Tahlita up, a doctor did a sonar to examine the condition of her heart. "The doctor apparently told my mom that my heart was beating 'beautifully'," she relays. "All the doctors were so excited!" The doctors then deemed it safe to take Tahlita off the ECMO machine.

Tahlita also received strong medicine, which had the unfortunate side effect of memory loss. "I don't recall the first few weeks after waking up.

It was a difficult and confusing time once she woke up from her coma. "My mother says that I was extremely anxious and asked her to phone my work to tell them why I couldn't come into the office. I'm a born career girl and a real workaholic. I was also worried about my bills being paid. I normally pay them by EFT and was stressed because no one else had access to my accounts. My dad assured me that he'd taken care of everything."

"I'm sure they must have all giggled at my control-freak ways - especially since I'd just woken up from a coma!" she chuckles.

Tahlita's dad also notified her broker, Marietjie, about her illness. As a signatory on her life policy, he understood the need to do this on his daughter's behalf, especially as she couldn't tell her broker of her changed circumstances herself while unconscious.

"THE LEUKAEMIA HAD ALSO CAUSED GUILLAIN-BARRÉ SYNDROME"

Tahlita unfortunately experienced another complication while in hospital - Guillain-Barré syndrome. This is a rare disorder whereby the body's immune system attacks the nerves. It's typically triggered by viral or bacterial infections, but in Tahlita's case, it was triggered by her rare form of leukaemia. Healthcare practitioners have documented this syndrome globally in patients with certain lymphomas and blood cancers.

"I had this syndrome in the most severe form. My body was paralysed. I also had a blocked artery in my left groin that caused many complications. My left leg was extremely weak, and I developed pressure sores on my leg and foot," she recalls.

"It can take up to a year to recover from this condition. My whole body was paralysed for months."

"THE MOST TRAUMATIC OF ALL - I SUDDENLY LOST MY HEARING"

"Everything went silent for me. I couldn't hear anyone talking or even hear the machines beeping anymore. It was as if a switch had been turned off," says Tahlita.

She and her loved ones tried to stay positive, with the hope that this latest complication was temporary. "While in hospital, my dad brought me a little white board and pens. I used it to communicate with people."

A few weeks after losing her hearing, Tahlita was referred to an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist. After a thorough assessment, the specialist told her that her hearing loss was probably caused by a combination of the high doses of antibiotics she received, her insufficient blood flow and the dialysis she had.

"Although extremely traumatic, my hearing loss is an unfortunate side effect of treating all my other illnesses. I can't blame the doctors though; the treatment was essential to save my life."

"Initially, the specialist's prognosis was that I would be deaf permanently. However, there has since been some improvement," she says. "It is a slow recovery, but I can now hear a little with the help of hearing aids."

"IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO RECOVER FROM GILLIAN BARRÉ, WITH CONSTANT EXERCISE AND THERAPY"

As soon as she could, Tahlita started with daily physiotherapy. "I started recovering the use of my hands first and then, eventually, I could slowly lift my arms. Eventually I could sit up for a few minutes a day and stand with the help of two therapists helping me out of bed."

"I received speech therapy while in hospital as well, as my ability to swallow was also affected. I received feeding through a tube in my nose because of this. Later, a tube was placed in my tummy so that I could still take in fluids when I eventually went home."

Once she was able to move a little more and when her heart and kidney function had recovered enough, Tahlita was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital where she could focus on recovering her physical strength. "Unfortunately, I still had a trachea tube and was on a ventilator at that stage."

"WE ALL IMAGINED THAT WHEN I CAME HOME, MY LIFE WOULD BE ON TRACK AGAIN ..."

Tahlita was discharged from the rehabilitation hospital in November, nearly six months after her ordeal began. Having been so focussed on recovering physically, coming home became more challenging for her on an emotional level.

"Initially, I suffered a lot with anxiety and depression. Coming home was nothing like we expected it to be. I was extremely weak and tired. My swallowing ability wasn't rehabilitated yet and I was receiving 'food' through a tube. I couldn't drive or go to work. I could barely climb up any stairs on my own."

"My family and fiancé had to look after me. They all helped by driving me to my daily appointments with therapists and doctors. They had to assist me with daily tasks, like bathing and doing my washing. They cooked for me and assisted me with my exercises. They also did all they could to keep my spirits up."

For Tahlita, the worst was adjusting to her severe hearing loss. "It's nothing like the Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye TV series. It's very difficult to read lips. I missed music and the sounds of birds singing and dogs barking."

It was a few months before she received hearing aids. "These do help," she says. "My doctor's opinion now though is that a cochlear implant can be done for me sometime in the future."

"MY WHOLE LIFE HAS CHANGED"

Now, almost 15 months after she was taken to the ER, Tahlita has not yet been able to return to work. She is aiming to do so as soon as she can (by next year).

For now, she is still in recovery. She is now also receiving chemotherapy treatment for her cancer. Emotionally, it still takes a toll - and understandably so. "I still cry when I need to go to hospital again. It's horrible to be so sick. I don't think we truly value our health until we lose it."

"It's been emotionally traumatising for my family as well. We are currently all receiving treatment for PTSD. My parents and my fiancé took a lot of time off work to visit me in hospital, and once I was home. I needed so much help on a continual basis, as well as emotional support. But I was relieved that they were also receiving support."

"I still see my physiotherapist and speech therapist on a weekly basis."

"MARIETJIE AND HER STAFF HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL, SUPPORTIVE AND CARING THROUGHOUT"

"My father was extremely worried at first that my medical aid would be cancelled if the debit order couldn't go off from my bank account while I was in hospital. My medical bills became extremely high," says Tahlita. Her hospital bill alone reached a figure in the millions, which her medical aid fortunately covered in full.

"My dad paid money into my bank account to ensure I didn't run out of money for the debit order - just in case."

Marietjie was soon on top of the insurance cover. She helped them with all the forms for claims that had to be processed. "I started receiving income protection payments and it helped so much! My debit orders could all go off without concerns. I wasn't going to lose my house or lose my medical aid cover."

"When I could start using my hands again, I could access my emails and help to manage the medical accounts that my medical aid did not cover. The income protection payments assisted me so much with being able to pay these bills. The peace of mind that this brought me, cannot be explained. I could just rest, recover and focus on my healing without financial stress," says Tahlita. "There was no way I could have paid these bills without Discovery's Income Continuation Benefit."

"The Discovery insurance claim payments also assisted me in buying an automatic car, as my left foot lost feeling during my illness. This has helped me so much in getting back some of my independence," she adds.

"Marietjie also sent me encouraging emails." This was a great support for Tahlita. "She supported my parents, answered every question that they had and dealt with everything immediately and professionally. All her staff also told me that they prayed for me and were so happy when I recovered enough to finally go home."

"We received excellent support from Discovery - all claims and queries were handled timeously and effectively. I felt like Discovery wasn't aiming to pay me the minimum, but rather the maximum payout they could."

"MY FAMILY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE"

"I shared my fears with my family and friends, and they all made a huge effort to pray for me, visit me and send me encouraging messages. It was difficult to receive support when I went deaf as I couldn't hear voice notes or listen to encouraging podcasts. People had to communicate with me in writing."

"Things are a million times better now. It makes my family so happy to see me getting well and recovering daily."

"My colleagues have been extremely supportive too. They were all thinking of me and praying for me. My boss kept contact with me during my whole illness and when I came home, he came to see me. He assured me that I will have a job to return to when I am recovered. I am extremely lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful employer."

"IRONICALLY, JUST BEFORE I BECAME ILL, I WANTED TO CANCEL MY POLICIES TO SAVE SOME MONEY"

"In a way, fate intervened and every time I tried to phone or email Marietjie, I got distracted at work."

"Now, I advise my friends to get the best medical aid that they can afford, and at the very least, an income protector benefit. I've learned that illness can happen so unexpectedly. I was a perfectly happy and healthy 33-year-old and ended up in hospital for nearly six months and to date, have been unable to return to work."

Tahlita would never have thought she could end up so ill and experience so much disruption in her life. A doctor told her at one of her follow-up appointments, "Don't give up. You've already beaten the odds. We did not expect you to make it."

Thankfully, she has and continues to forge ahead in her recovery. "If I did not have this insurance, I would have lost my townhouse and wouldn't have been able to pay any of my medical bills. I am extremely thankful."

We at Discovery Life wish Tahlita everything of the best as she continues to make successful progress in her recovery. After all, she and her fiancé have a very big (wedding) day to plan for and to enjoy with their loved ones.