MONROVIA – A renowned Liberian civil society activist has explained her “harsh experience” after she was diagnosed Covid-19 positive, treated and recovered at home, instead of a treatment facility.
Madam Maima Robinson disclosed that she came down with Covid-19 in the first week of June and didn’t know that she had contracted the virus until three days into her illness.
She pointed out that she previously thought that the illness was malaria, because the symptoms are almost similar to Covid-19, but somehow different.
Madam Robinson named the loss of her sense of smelling and tasting without coming down with running nose or cold as the first symptoms she experienced while lying on her sick bed.
She added that she later had high fever, experienced very heavy body pains which were unbearable and fatigue that left her feeling very weak for three days.
Robinson: “I quickly contacted my doctor who ran malaria test and advised that I start the malaria treatment at once which I did. I took the malaria treatment for three days but we never succeeded in controlling the fever. With no delay, my doctor asked me few questions all my answers pointed to active COVI-19.
“He immediately asked me to isolate myself from my kids and every other person at home, which I did. Then I started the coronavirus treatment (the Liberian way). Which include high antibiotics (with help from my RN) and hot ginger juice, hot lemon juice, cubes of garlic in every glass of warm water and coconut water 5 times a day each except for the water which was more frequent”.
She indicated that despite the severe body pains and fever, she later started to experience severe coughing.
“I coughed and coughed till I felt my bellybutton popping out in pains as if that was not enough. I coughed and coughed till I started bleeding like I had a miscarriage. It continued for days and the second week ended. I quickly added to my treatment blood tonic, potatoes greens water, cough syrup and multivitamin. My saliva dried out of my mouth completely for days. I was only surviving on water and the treatment. I lost appetite”.
She noted that the coughing kept on until she started to encounter shortness of breath, adding that, “as I coughed, I fought for my breath”.
She pointed out that though she almost gave out the ghost, looking at her kids during the time of her illness kept her “holding on”.
“I remember the day I told my kids I had the coronavirus, it appears like it was judgement day in my house. I had to talk them into accepting the reality. I further instructed my kids on what to get for me at the same time I told them what to do to keep safe. They followed every instruction I gave them. The bigger once would go on the internet and read on the prevention methods at the same time they were observing all the health protocols as they cared for me. My kids brave the storms and took care of me without contacting the virus”.
According to her, neither the doctor nor her children contracted the disease.
She continued: “For days they looked at me as I struggled to breathe, the pains, the fever and the weakness. Thankfully my RN discovered a drug, and that drug through the mercy of God helped me a lot, I slept for the first time in three weeks after the first dose of that drug. And from that day the fever gradually came down, the body pains eased, the coughing slowly stopped and I started to recover. That was the last week in June”.
Madam Robinson disclosed that while she was fighting for her life and the lives of her kids, she was also engaged into doing contact tracing, not only to know how she contracted the virus, but to encourage the person whom she contracted the virus from to accept it and seek help instead of spreading it further.
“I was of the conviction that not everyone will be like me to announce that they had the virus. I believe I survived the virus firstly by the grace of God and because I accepted the reality and immediately started my self treatment.
“I coughed and coughed till I felt my bellybutton popping out in pains as if that was not enough. I coughed and coughed till I started bleeding like I had a miscarriage. It continued for days and the second week ended. I quickly added to my treatment blood tonic, potatoes greens water, cough syrup and multivitamin. My saliva dried out of my mouth completely for days. I was only surviving on water and the treatment. I lost appetite”.
– Maima Robinson, COVID-19 Survivor
Shunning Covid-19 treatment center
Speaking further, Madam Robinson pointed out that she prioritized self-treatment and isolation immediately after she was diagnosed of the virus instead of reporting herself to be taken to Coronavirus Treatment Center.
She clarified that her decision taken to seek self-treatment was not in any way intended to disrespect the government or the national taskforce on Covid-19, but she just “didn’t find it fit to turn myself in judging from all of the conversations around the street corners”.
The source
Madam Robinson stated that though she has obeyed all of the measures put in place by health authorities to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus since the outbreak of the virus, her self-contact tracing methods implored unearthed that every single person she came in contact with are all safe.
She disclosed that she contracted the virus from her daughter.
“My daughter first contracted the virus and passed it to me, and by all means our facts finding shows she got it from handling money. Touching of money! She often handled money in the house. Interestingly the virus didn’t treat her bad as it did me. At the time she had it I wasn’t too sure but I treated her and she fully recovered, two days after that I came down with the virus. The good news is I’m well now and back to work for the first time today”
Madam Robinson, however, used this medium to urge citizens to desist from doubting the existence of Covid-19 in Liberia.
She encouraged Liberians and others residing in the country to continue to follow the health protocols to ensure that Coronavirus is totally eradicated from the country.
“Please! My people the Coronavirus is real and it’s in Liberia! You never want to experience what I went through. You may not be as bless as I was to survive it. No wonder research has proven that the older folks are more vulnerable to the virus. Now I understand why, they just can’t stand the pains.
Please do all you can to stay safe”.
Madam Robinson maintained: “I am completely out of words and don’t know where to start from but with tears in my eyes and with a thankful heart to God I announce to you that I just survived the COVID19!
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