OIPAPAKANE – A 43-year-old woman whose body was disfigured, discoloured and her arm and leg amputated following an alleged series of snakebites, has recovered.
Elizabeth Joseph, who has been battling for her life after being bitten by a snake on two occasions, confirmed her recovery to New Era this week, following a visit to her residence.
She attributed her recovery to several prayer sessions conducted by self-proclaimed pastor Saltiel Nghipandwa.
Joseph recounted her harrowing journey, disclosing that she was first bitten by a snake in 2015 while working at a recycling company in Omafo in the Helao Nafidi constituency.
The initial incident led to the amputation of her right arm and leg.
In 2021, tragedy struck again when she was bitten by another snake, as she sat in her wheelchair at home during the night.
Then came the nightmare.
Her left arm and leg were scheduled for amputation, and her eyesight was gradually deteriorating.
“Almost 70% of my body turned black. At first glance, people thought I was wearing black clothes. But the worst thing was the pain, which felt like my entire body had been set on fire,” the long-suffering woman narrated.
She described unsettling sensations, including feeling the movement of a snake within her body, especially when she was asleep, and assumed they were maggots moving inside her.
The mother of four children said she became hopeless and doubted if she would ever recover as more and more of her body kept swelling and turning black.
Joseph had been hospitalised at the Engela District Hospital since December 2023.
She was discharged last month.
Following her discharge, she was approached by Nghipandwa, who offered her a prayer service, which was done telephonically.
“I have been fighting for too long. Sometimes I wanted to commit suicide. It was not easy for me to fight this battle,” she lamented.
Joseph vehemently denied rumours circulating among villagers that she was bewitched because of an alleged affair she had with another woman’s husband.
“I know it is spiritual snakes that bit me, but it is not because I slept with someone’s husband. I was already in pain, but people were still spreading rumours,” she added. –fhamalwa@nepc.com.na