In the April 13 edition, TOTT reported on the caring Port Alfred community coming together to rally behind a crowd funding initiative for Laurette Fourie who was involved in a horrific head-on collision on the R72 driving down the hill on Monday, April 3.
involved in a horrific head-on collision on the R72 when driving
down the hill on April 3, is back home and recovering after
having spent three weeks in hospital. Picture: SUPPLIED
A month later, she is back home recovering, after spending three weeks at Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha where she had hip replacement surgery on her left leg. It broke in three different places and her wounds required no fewer than 70 stitches, along with major abdominal surgery to stop life-threatening internal bleeding.
Fourie complimented the doctors at the public hospital for their good treatment along with some kind nurses. “They were very good. The doctors are amazing,” she said. During her first two weeks in hospital, she was unable to eat or drink. This was because she had an allergic reaction to the morphine injection she was given for pain.
There is still a long road to recovery, but with the supportive structure she has going, Laurie remains positive and in high spirits. She will only be able to put weight on her left leg after six weeks, but even then she will still be using crutches and will need to go to physiotherapy to learn how to walk with the injured leg. “It’s still a long road to recovery but it’s going well and I’ve processed everything. But I have to say if I didn’t have the support that this town has given me…I have had people visiting me [in hospital] that I don’t even know but that was there every single day. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be this positive. If I didn’t have the support or the hope that people give me, I wouldn’t be this way,” she told TOTT.
The lively Fourie has been living in Port Alfred for the last seven and a half years, after moving from Vredenburg. With her family living in the Western Cape, she has had generous support with daily visits at the farm and helping her journey to recovery go smoothly. The young hairstylist is still in awe of the generosity she has received. “This town is amazing. I still can’t believe all the support I’m getting,” she said.
Her Back A Buddy crowd funding has received massive support, with R 135 267.25 donated to date. “I know a lot of people on there and I’m just thinking to myself wow. Some of my clients only come in for 20 minutes once a month and they’ve supported this massively, it really surprised me. And there are many anonymous people there giving out of the goodness of their hearts,” Fourie said.
Fourie expressed sincere gratitude to Icon Hair owner Gill, whom she refers to as her Port Alfred mom for being by her side from the accident scene. “She’s been with me since the accident. Being in the car all I can remember is seeing Gill standing in front of me,” Fourie recalls.
From the accident scene, residents were impressively supportive as Fourie recalls how one lady stood next to her holding her hand telling her to stay awake and reassuring her that everything would be okay. She still has flashbacks to the terrifying accident, but despite that, Fourie remains positive thanks to the incredible support system surrounding her. “I’m not depressed, I’m not upset, I’m not angry at all. It opened up my eyes how amazing people can be and that I got a second chance in life. All the stress has been taken away because of all the support I’ve got. I have good people looking after me,” she said.
“I do [relive] and see the accident a lot, but it doesn’t scare me. I can be on that road and I feel I can get back into a car and drive again,” Laurie said.
Fourie sends her heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported her and local businesses who stood together for her support. “I would like to thank this whole town because I’ve literally had this whole town standing behind me and if it wasn’t for this town I wouldn’t be this strong. Thank you for all the support, well wishes, prayers and gifts. I’ve never ever seen anything like this, I literally have the whole town backing me up which proves how amazing Port Alfred is,” said Fourie.
Even now, people continue going to the saloon to check on how she’s recovering and even leave more donations. At the farm, she’s getting regular visits and even physiotherapists offering to help her recover. She believes the massive support she’s been receiving has also aided her healing journey.
Although the road to full recovery is still long, the hairstylist looks forward to going back to Icon to do what she does best and engage in everyday conversations with clients from different walks of life. “I’m looking forward to going back. I love building a bond with each and every client,” she said.
