A 53 year old COVID-19 patient has been discharged from Groote Schuur hospital after being on High-flow Nasal Oxygen treatment for over a month, the longest of any patient thus far to be on this treatment.

Catherine Qonyiweyo, or Aunty Cathy as she became known to hospital staff, was transferred to Groote Schuur in mid-June, after her health deteriorated in the Mitchell’s Plain hospital.

Dr Gordon Andley was one of the doctors who cared for Catherine during her stay at the hospital.

“Aunty Cathy is a true inspiration for our whole team. She is the patient who has been on the HFOM for the longest time. Her resilience really stood out for us, she was always positive and always wanting to move forward and make progress. She was exposed to very sick patients in her ward even patients who died, but she kept on wanting to get healthy.”

At the end of that tough 63-day period she went through, she was incredibly appreciative to all the staff that helped her, especially the doctors and the nurses, for their hard work.

“To be on [treatment] for 40 days was not easy, I was lying on my stomach and really [could only eat] porridge, but the staff were always there to care for me. They are all amazing and I appreciate them all so much. My wish is that God continues to give them the strength for them to perform their duties and make [a] difference,” she said.