Michelle ‘on leave’
|Published
Cape Town - 120923 - Michelle looks at her picture in the Cape Argus - Michelle Motibi headed home for weekend leave for the first time since April. She was overjoyed to be back with her family - Photo: Matthew Jordaan Cape Town - 120923 - Michelle looks at her picture in the Cape Argus - Michelle Motibi headed home for weekend leave for the first time since April. She was overjoyed to be back with her family - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - Michelle Motibi, the little girl who was badly burnt in a shack fire in April, returned home this weekend for the first time since being hospitalised for a bit of “weekend leave”.
“She was running up and down the house, playing and talking a lot,” Michelle’s mother, Ursula Motibi, said. “She was especially happy to see her grandmother.”
Motibi said that Michelle had not seen any friends yet and was just spending time with her family.
Michelle, five, sat on her bed with her mother as her younger brother Freddy came running in and cuddled up to her followed by her aunt.
In the lounge her family sat reading a copy of the Cape Argus. It was the first time they had seen the paper that featured the story of Michelle’s brave battle. When Michelle was first admitted to hospital, doctors classified her situation as “not compatible with life”.
She had suffered burns to 86 percent of her body on April 27. Having been given little chance to survive, Michelle fought back and, with a team of dedicated doctors and donor skin from six bodies, she was able to survive.
“As a celebration [of the article that was published on Friday] we sent Michelle home for the first time this weekend. She will be returning to hospital [today] to continue treatment,” Dr Roux Martinez explained.
The idea of “weekend leave” is to allow a slow social integration and home adaptation for Michelle. She still has the comfort of going back to the safety of the hospital at the end of each of these visits.
When Motibi mentioned that Michelle would be returning to hospital today Michelle’s face dropped. She is not looking forward to going back to the hospital and her mother has not yet been given a date when Michelle will be coming home for good.
According to Martinez the next challenge for Michelle is to find a centre that offers a good educational programme as well as regular hospital contact with transport to the hospital.
Cape Argus