By Libuseng Nyaka
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KROONSTAD – Nineteen-year-old Manhca Gabriel Domingo writhes in pain in his hospital bed at Boitumelo Hospital some 200 km away from Bloemfontein because of a swollen stomach caused due to Ascites.
His distended stomach was caused by an accumulation of fluid in his abdominal cavity forcing him to visit hospital several times to drain the excess fluid. The Ascitic fluid is caused by liver disease, cancers, congestive heart failure or kidney failure.
Domingo is a second-year Bio Medical Technology student at the Vaal University of Technogy and fears that if he is not cured soon, he might fail to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor due to irregular attendance of class.
Relating his ordeal to Public Eye on Friday, August 3 Domingo said: “It all started with Tubercolosis (TB) in 2008 while I was doing grade 10. I was put on treatment for nine months and not the normal TB treatment which takes six months. I suspect my illness is linked to the overdose of medication.”
However, Domingo said after several tests, doctors at Boitumelo discounted this notion because his liver was still healthy.
Dr Ramoroesi Victor Ramathesele told Public Eye that Domingo’s condition was rare and emphasised that more tests were necessary before a treatment plan could be mapped out.
Domingo was last week moved to Bloemfontein with the assistance of Acting Free State MEC for Health Mosebenzi Zwane for specialised treatment.
Domingo comes from a poor family – both his parents and elder sister are unemployed and depend on part-time work for survival.
His studies are sponsored by National Student Financial Aid Scheme of South Africa (NSFAS).
But his transfer to Bloemfontein could end some of his problems as Zwane promised to get government to meet his medical costs and ensure that he enrols with a university to continue his studies.
Zwane also promised to get Domingo to study medicine in Cuba under the on-going government-to-government programme.
MEC Zwane would not have known about Domingo’s situation were it not for his persistent sister Elina.
She met Premier Ace Magashule when he visited Boitumelo hospital earlier this month and told him about her brother’s condition.
“It was Premier Ace Magashule who referred me to MEC Zwane after I confronted him. I was afraid that I would lose my brother who was lying in pain without getting any attention from doctors at Boitumelo. I skipped the protocol and did everything I could to grab the premier’s attention.
“All I wanted was to save my brother’s life which was threatened by the diease. Fortunately, my brother’s story touched MEC Zwane’s heart,” she said.
Zwane chipped in: “We will do everything in our power to ensure that you get the help that you need. But you must have hope and faith and put God first.”
An overwhelmed Domingo said he had initially wanted to enrol for a medical degree soon after high school but his application was late forcing him to settle for the closest thing to medicine he could get.
“My quest to become a doctor was fuelled by young doctors who used to visit my school to give us career guidance. I would dream of wearing a white jacket and assisting sick people. My condition has strengthened that passion now that I know how it feels to be desperate for your life,” Domingo said.
He said Zwane’s intervention had rekindled his fading hope for survival, adding he believed that he would one day achieve his dream of earning a medical degree.
“My sister has always been my pillar of strength. I look up to her. She is my rock. When I am in pain she fills me with hope and encourages me to pray. I believe that I will get help in Bloemfontein,” he said.
But his parents who live in a rented four roomed house will now have to find money from somewhere to travel to Bloemfontein to check on him.
“While he was at university he was admitted at Sebokeng Hospital and later was transferred to Baragwanath Hospital. We could not go there to check on him because we did not have money for transport,” said Domingo’s mother.
But right now, the family is just grateful that Domingo is getting specialised help.