Katherine Dorothy Newman aged 93 is one of the oldest survivors of COVID-19 in the Western Cape.
William Newman, Katherine’s son, shares that his mother is affectionately known as Dorothy, Aunty Dorothy, or Ma Newman.
Ma Newman was born on 10 October 1926 in Claremont, William says, “As a divorced mother she has been a pillar of strength raising the family during trying times providing us with the best love, care, and education to build successful careers,”.
Over the last nine years, Ma Newman has been a resident at Huis Nuweland. “Huis Nuweland was very proactive in this regard,” explains William. “They put in place the highest levels of control to limit the impact on their much-loved residents and valued staff.”
On 2 June, the hands-on Huis Nuweland staff alerted the family to Ma Newman’s coughing and upon the doctor’s advice, a COVID-19 test was conducted. The results came back positive.
“This was indeed very worrying news for the family, given our mom’s advanced age, but the family was comforted by the knowledge of Huis Nuweland’s preparedness for this situation,” explains William.
COVID Treatment
During this time, Ma Newman was cared for under the strict COVID-19 protocols at Huis Nuweland. However, after later displaying breathing difficulties the doctor advised that she be hospitalised and she was admitted to Groote Schuur Hospital.
At Groote Schuur, she received the necessary care and treatment and after improvement, she was transferred to the CTICC Hospital of Hope. There she received further care and treatment until she was eventually cleared of COVID-19 symptoms and ready to be discharged.
Ma Newman returned to Huis Nuweland on 3 July. She has shown remarkable improvement and is almost back to her normal self.
