…stroke patient starts recovering in four sessions
Beverly Bizeki
21 years of suffering a severe stroke on the upper and lower limb for a Masvingo lady came to an end after receiving physiotherapy from Masvingo fitness trainer Douglas Machingauta of the Sir Douglas Fitness and Trust Centre.
48 year-old Zadzisai Chamisa could not hide her joy as she explained how only four sessions she had at the Fitness Centre enabled her to lift and drop her hand as well as stretching her thumb and walk without dragging her hand.
“My condition has improved a lot after receiving physical treatment in terms of exercises and aerobics at the Sir Douglas Fitness and Trust Centre.
“I met Machingauta during the launch of People Living with Disabilities (PwDs) for ED and I explained my case to him and he agreed to help me,” said Chamisa.
Honest Chamisa who has stood with his wife since she suffered the stroke expressed his gratitude and said Machingauta is an asset for the province.
“This person is abled but has neither equipment, nor a place for undertaking his operations but can help so many people especially now that he helps PwDs at no cost,” said Honest.
Honest further urged government and council to also consider people suffering from stroke by way of providing physiotherapy centers as physiotherapy training centers are quite costly and charging an average of US$ 20 for a 45 minute session.
Cuthbert Dondo, a patient at the center also applauded Machingauta’s work as he is also showing signs of recovery in just two days.
“I can now lift my hands and stretch them (as he touches his head) which I could not do before coming here in October 2022,” said Dondo.
Machingauta said he had seen it fit to offer physiotherapy training for free to help those who are in need as most people die because of lack of treatment.
“Most people adhere to the saying from stroke to the grave but I say no, there is hope for full recovery of stroke patients using simple exercises where we do not use any sophisticated gadgets. There is hope for the disabled as well,” said Machingauta.
He also pleaded with the business community and Ministry of Health and Child Care to assist the fitness center with funding for apparatus to use at the center.
At the moment, Machingauta uses simple gadgets like a pen, a radio and a pebble for some of his sessions on stroke patients and has witnessed the recovery of about seven patients some from South Africa.
