Johannesburg – Former cricket player Solo Nqweni was at the peak of his career when he was struck down with a rare disorder, Guillain- Barre syndrome (GBS).
Neurologist Dr Alan Alex Landmann at Sandton Mediclinic explained that GBS is a condition where there is sudden inflammation of the nerves in the body.
“The person affected usually notices rapid weakness of the limbs, mostly starting in the legs. The weakness progresses over a period of a few days up to four weeks unless a diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment started.
“The weakness often affects the muscles for breathing and therefore the patient may require mechanical ventilation.”
He said it is estimated that 1-2 per 100 000 people are affected per year. Roughly 1 in 1 000 people will be affected by the condition during the course of their life, affecting males slightly more than females.
There is no known cure for GBS, but several treatments can ease symptoms.
Nqweni was playing for Aberdeenshire Cricket Club in Scotland when he became ill in July 2019.
“It was a normal Sunday, I got up to make myself breakfast and realised I had weakness in my hands. I had difficulty gripping the mug. Because I played a game the day before, I put it down to being fatigued and dehydrated.
“But throughout the day I felt myself deteriorating and couldn’t go and watch the match between England and New Zealand with my housemate,” Nqweni explained.
Nqweni slept on the sofa that night, but when he woke up at 2am he could not get himself to the bathroom as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Struggling to get his phone, he eventually called his housemate who was asleep in another room.
Nqweni said he woke up in the ICU, where he would stay for another three months, in and out of induced comas. He explained that he could not speak, eat, walk or do any “normal” things and felt instantly depressed.
The exact cause of Guillain- Barre syndrome is unknown.
But two-thirds of patients report symptoms of an infection in the six weeks preceding.
Nqweni had flu symptoms weeks before and may have compromised his immune system with the medication he took. But he was also told that he could have ingested chicken containing the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, which causes food poisoning in people with normal immune systems. Nqweni said the mental strain was hell for the next year, even after returning home.
“I questioned God, I asked why now when my career had just about picked up. I was fi t and healthy and looked after myself. “But then suddenly I was bedridden for a year. Then in a wheelchair for six months, a walker for the next three months and I still have therapy five times a week. A nurse for 24 hours as I couldn’t bath, dress or feed myself,” he said.
After a year’s absence from social media, the tenacious player started documenting his journey to recovery.
He said his goal is to walk assistant free and find his own place by January next year.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
