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The 49-year-old Zena Kotze from Louis Trichardt looks much better after undergoing a heart transplant on 1 December last year in Pretoria. Pictured with her is her brother, Keith McGuire. Photo supplied.

Zena fighting fit

Date: 20 January 2019 By: Andries van Zyl

In 2018, life nearly ended for the 49-year-old Zena Kotze of Louis Trichardt, but thanks to a heart transplant she got a new lease on life.

Zena is well known and much loved in the Soutpansberg community. During 2018, she started to struggle with her health. This was because she was left with only 23% heart function after suffering a heart attack about seven years ago. To help her heart cope, she received a pacemaker. Inevitably her heart, which had started to enlarge because of having to work overtime, just could not keep up anymore.

Zena was in and out of hospital for weeks on end last year. Eventually the prognosis came that if she did not get a heart transplant immediately, she was sure to die soon.

Within a day or so, or rather hours, of hearing the bad news, something happened that can only be described as a miracle – a donor heart was found for Zena, as well as a lung. Initially, the doctors thought she would also need a lung transplant, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Just more than one and a half months have passed since Zena underwent her heart transplant on 1 December. She is still in ICU at the heart hospital and not out of the woods yet, but she is doing very well.

“Since her heart transplant, she has had another six operations. Despite this, she is fighting fit and has started with physio,” said her brother, Keith McGuire, on Wednesday during a telephonic interview. He was on his way to visit his sister in hospital.

“She’s back and ready to go!” said Keith. He added, however, that the road to recovery since Zena’s heart transplant had been a long one. Among the operations she underwent after her surgery was to repair bleeding to the new heart. Initially the hope was that Zena would be moved from ICU this week, but fluid in her lungs forced doctors to keep her where she is. “The moisture had to be drained from the lungs, otherwise she might have been out of ICU by the weekend,” said Keith. Conservatively speaking, Keith estimated that Zena might now only be moved out of ICU in two weeks’ time. “Remember, after receiving her new heart, her body had no immune system. That is why she needs to be kept in a sterilized environment,” said Keith.

All who know Zena know she is a real fighter. “We are taking it one step at a time. She’s doing super with all the support she is receiving. Last Wednesday she could only stand for about five seconds. By this week she started walking,” said Keith.  

The past year has been a difficult one for both Zena and her family, especially daughters Sky and Li-Amor Lambrecht. Sky matriculated last year while Li-Amor wrote her Grade 10 exams at Louis Trichardt High School.

“She has been to hell and back. I’ve seen my sister at death’s door … Thank the Lord above! It’s been a miracle journey … she’s a real trooper,” said Keith.

For the last three weeks, Zena’s condition has been stable. She is even allowed a trip to the coffee shop inside the hospital for a cup of coffee with family. According to Keith, Zena is already talking of going home. “But I am also a bit hardegat. I told her she could go home when the doctors said she could go home,” said Keith. He added that even if Zena did go home, she would not be allowed to work as it could take up to a year for her to recover fully.

 
 
 

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

 
 

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