Friday, 02 December 2011

Burn victim’s super hospital recovery

Sibusiso Kunene smiles at the thought that he will soon be heading home after 13 months of treatment for severe burns

More than a year after he was admitted to hospital with burns over 90 per cent of his body, a young Pongola man is on the brink of being discharged. And it’s thanks to a modern miracle of medicine that he will go back to the normal life he enjoyed before, barring a few scars that will always remind him of the event that almost cost him his life. Sibusiso Kunene (29) was admitted to Netcare The Bay Hospital on 4 October last year after a boiler exploded at the Pongola Sugar Mill where he is employed. Hot water scalded his skin, while inhaled steam also caused severe problems.

But his ‘amazingly positive mental attitude’ coupled with excellent medical treatment and the application of artificial skin kept him alive and aided his recovery. ‘We use a product called Biobraide, which acts like a second skin and prevents fluid loss and secondary infections,’ said the specialist who treated the victim. ‘In the past his chances of recovery would have been slim, but in these modern times nobody with 90 per cent burns should die.’ Sibusiso is expected to go home in the next few weeks, and will not require any future surgery.

He had a taste of what lies ahead when he was allowed to go home last weekend for a party arranged by his company. ‘I am blessed to have received the treatment I did. ‘The hospital staff have been wonderful and I look forward to returning to my family and my job,’ said Sibusiso.