Help Marinda to see again

Marinda Holtzhausen well-known in the tourism industry for 28 years is going blind. She is the initiator of the Cape Winelands Tourism Expo project, and owner of Socially Unforgettable, sharing her Social Media skills with newcomers to the Digital world.
In January 2013 Marinda Holtzhausen went on a Tourism Road Show to India. A year later she woke one morning and discovered that she was blind in her right eye. By June 2014 she had only 30% blurred vision remaining in the left eye. The eye surgeon gave her until December 2014 before she would lose total eye sight.
After the India Road Show Marinda became gravely ill and only 10 months later was diagnosed with TB. On 25 November 2013 she had a bronchoscopy and started the horrid TB medication with terrible side effects. A little more than a month later, she had a massive hemorrhage behind her right eye.
One of the surgeons is of the opinion that the wrong TB medication was prescribed as a Type I Diabetic which brought on Proliferate Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR). The Retina in Maranda’s right eye is detached and blood has seeped into the vitreous gel of the eye, causing the loss of sight.
During October 2014 she discovered that the Retina in her left eye deteriorated even more, further limiting her sight.
Marinda has undergone 3 very painful Pan Retinal Photocoagulation procedures on both eyes at Tygerberg Hospital. On 13 August the eye surgeon at Tygerberg Hospital told her to “Forget about your right eye, it will never see again.” He advised her to come back in two months. If she has lost total sight by then, they would decide what to do next.
Without a medical aid and dependent upon Government treatment this news was devastating. In spite of having the odds against her, Marinda looked for second and third opinions.
After visiting several Retina Specialists, Dr James Acton, known for his high success rate in treating PDR patients has agreed to perform a series of operations called a Vitrectomy.
A Vitrectomy is the surgical removal of the vitreous gel from the middle of the eye During a Vitrectomy, the surgeon inserts small instruments into the eye, cuts the vitreous gel, to be removed. Thereafter the surgeon may treat the retina with a laser (photocoagulation), cut or remove fibrous or scar tissue from the retina, flatten areas where the retina has become detached, or repair tears or holes in the retina or macula. At the end of the surgery, silicone oil or a gas is injected into the eye to replace the vitreous gel and restore normal pressure in the eye.
Due to the severity of damage to the right eye, more than one operation may be needed to repair the Retina.
Marinda’s love for the tourism industry has left her with approaching blindness. Without these operations costing an approximate R 60,000 each, Marinda will definitely soon be completely blind.
Marinda’s friends are organizing a Fund Raising Event on 06 December at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West.
For more information on this event, contact Ina Viljoen at 021 930 1726 or Email: [email protected]
 
 


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