“Never Hesitate To Seek Help When You Know That You Are Drowning”
Melissa Ranea | April 16, 2024
I am a 29 year old young black woman who is very passionate about helping and serving people in the best way that I can , be it at my job or in life in general . I am a paradox in character. I have an introvert side and an extrovert side. Bubbly personality at most times but I also have intentional solitary moments which come out as being a loner. I love watching documentaries or podcasts that promote conservative ideologies..ohh and I love listening to Sermons. I am really not an outgoing person , I would rather choose sleep than go out to party but five years back it was the other way round ,I guess I am growing up lol.
Going back to me being passionate about helping people and serving people, I realised I genuinely find true joy in serving, be it showing kindness to someone, showing that I care about people’s concerns or doing beyond what is required of me be it at my job or in my personal life. I love God and try my best to follow him. I have a lot of flaws, “a lot of them actually “. But I also acknowledge that I am a better person today than I was a few years back “It’s the small changes .. i.e change in my attitude towards life and people , accepting that I have always been different and have a different background than most people and choosing to be content at all times and keep trusting God to see me through in all life’s challenges.
This change in perspective has literally shifted the trajectory of my life in ways I could have never imagined. Trust me, life was not supposed to have turned out like this given my upbringing and all I have endured and still enduring. Being alive is a miracle. So ..in short I am a very complex person but generosity ,love and kindness are what meticulously define me as a being. I love life and am grateful for it though it comes with its own challenges. I always put gratitude to God everyday first, it really makes your day better given challenges that life presents to us on a daily basis.
What inspired you to go into the pharmaceutical industry?
I was drawn to pharmacy by my biological mother’s death. My mother had HIV&AIDs. This was in the early 2000’s where this disease was very stigmatized and people were ignorant of its fatality. I remember my mother taking medication then suddenly stopped taking the medication she had been taking daily, I was really young still in primary school. When she stopped taking the medication , she developed other complications like Tuberculosis (TB) which would ultimately be her final battle before she passed on.
“All this loss due to this disease developed a passion in me to study how medication works “
I knew that had she continued to take her ARVs as she was taking them before she could still be alive but she succumbed to the stigma of the disease in that era. I had two siblings who came after me who passed on due to HIV also. All this loss due to this disease developed a passion in me to study how medication works “ specifically ARVs” as I believe they could have saved my family.
I got into pharmacy to find an understanding about what ended the lives of my loved ones and what could have saved them . With that being said , I genuinely enjoyed chemistry in high school , I guess my chemistry teacher (Mr Segu) had a lot to do with that , he was such a vibe but also a great advisor about life, and he would have these low-key life advising sessions while he was teaching us chemistry and it was one of the subjects I had to be good at to be admitted for Bachelor of Pharmacy so “in a way one thing was already working out in terms of me becoming a pharmacist “. It’s really a combination of many life factors that drew me to this profession and knowing that in the process of executing my job I will be in most part serving and helping people with their health which is really what defines me in the end.
What are some of the challenges you came across leading up to the completion of
your course?
I can write an entire book with this one “lol”. There is a huge shift from high school to university, especially when you are from eKasi, the language barrier is the obvious one, as English is the medium of communication in all lectures and here I am struggling to understand simple statements or lessons in class. This was the obvious challenge that I realised. I also became so demotivated because I was really failing dismally in most of my subjects while my peers were understanding things much easier than me (most of which were from the model C schools or from overseas) I genuinely did not fit in, in that environment. The demotivation did not only show in my studies but also in the life I started living, I started missing classes because I was just failing most of my subjects.
“I really did not care about my future anymore because I was already expecting my life to fail in its entirety”
I started drinking alcohol almost everyday. I really did not care about my future anymore because I was already expecting my life to fail in its entirety. A summation of bad decisions in first and second year finally led to me being academically excluded and financially excluded by the University. This was when life got real. I will not lie, I didn’t have the nicest backgrounds. I got adopted by a very generous woman whom after my mother’s passing took care of me. I still thank God for that woman till this day regardless of all the challenges we had. Life was not all lilies and dandies at my new home after my mother passed. The state of things in that environment was also one of the key players that forced me to do good in my studies in high school so that I could leave that environment and finally find peace and be a better person where I would not be can be dependent of anyone.
Little did I know that was just the beginning of my even bigger life problems. By God’s grace I made it to university with my matric results and not just any university, but one of the most prestigious universities in Africa (Rhodes University). My First and Second year were just a mess, as I said I ended up being excluded academically and financially. This really meant I was going to be a drop out and I genuinely could not imagine life without education, I had no plan whatsoever. I called my adoptive mother to tell her the news of my exclusion and she told me I am now old and should see what I do with my life but be sure not to come back to her home. I will not forget that day! I thought I was going crazy and the university sent me an email saying I should be out of res in 48 hours after being excluded.
With no family and anyone to go to I legit got so depressed I developed a fever and mental disorientation I could not explain at that moment it was extreme anxiety. In the 48 hours I tried to think of what I was going to do with my life, where am I going to go when I go out of res. Life was “practically” over for me because I had just lost the only opportunity to be someone in life. The final conclusion I came to with everything going on was to commit suicide. I overdosed on painkillers and a variety of substances that were in my residence room. l was in so much agony and pain, I kept going in and out of consciousness. I remember waking up in hospital and finding two of my res friends by my bed side Gift (my friend) was the one who found me on the floor in my room ‘she was probably coming to look for a snack in my room , she usually did that “ and luckily my door was not locked .
” Thank God for not letting me die and asked him to lead my way in this second chance of life and opportunity to still pursue my dream of becoming a pharmacist”
My residence warden (Tracey Chambers) was also by my bed side at the hospital, she was the one who took me there that very night I attempted suicide. I was then admitted overnight and was required to attend compulsory therapy sessions as soon as I got discharged, mandated by the Doctor who oversaw my case, I was mentally unstable and had a high probability that I may try to commit suicide again. When I got discharged Tracey came and fetched me and took me back to my residence room. She intentionally wanted to know my story, why am I inflicting such pain to myself, why do I want to take my life. I told her my life story, I held nothing back. At the end of our conversation she said “ Mathabo you will graduate and I will support you until you graduate. You just need proper support and guidance, I am going to be your mom from now on. She helped me with the appealing process to get back to Pharmacy. It was like I was given a second chance at life. I remember when my appeal was successful my first prayer was to thank God for not letting me die and asked him to lead my way in this second chance of life opportunity to still pursue my dream of becoming a pharmacist.
There was a great shift in my life after that incident. I lost many friends now that my priorities were different. I stayed at school during school holidays since I had nowhere else to go during holidays. This I did until I completed my studies in 2019. God literally put destiny helpers in my life until I completed my degree. There was a change in how I managed my time and how I saw myself as a young woman.
“We all fall but the difference is how long do you stay down, and having a renewed mind in almost everything even if it may cost you everything you found comfort in”
So, in short, you will face a lot of challenges in university regardless of what degree you are pursuing. Through it all put God first. He genuinely has good plans for you. Even when failure crosses your path never take suicide as an option, it’s really not. God can turn your life around and leave you speechless. Be authentic in who you are and all you do. Never hesitate to seek help when you know that you are drowning and you cannot handle life’s pitfalls. We all fall but the difference is how long you stay down, and having a renewed mind in almost everything even if it may cost you everything you found comfort in. But trust me, invest in yourself, you will thank yourself later in life. Never try to fit in with the culture. Trends will always change , friends will come and go but the real ones will remain with you till the end regardless of what life throws at you. Dream big and when you face all the challenges you are going to face, just know that your dream is too big it even scares the hell hence the difficulties you are facing but God will see you through in all seasons. Have faith in Him always.
What is the biggest misconception about pharmacists?
The biggest misconception about pharmacists is that we are ‘just pill dispensers “. We are really more than that. We are legal custodians of medicine and the middle man between prescribers (medical doctors) and patients. We prevent so many fatalities for many patients with regards to medication prescribed to them. We play a key role in our communities as we serve people with love, kindness and put people first above our own problems. We lend an ear to those who come and get services from us. We are counsellors, friends and family to those we serve. We genuinely play a critical role in society and in the health sphere which adds to the quality of life of all those we interact with.
What do you love about being in the pharmaceutical industry? What have your highlights been thus far?
What I love about being in this profession is getting to do what really brings me joy and that is being able to say I made a difference in someone’s life today, I gave hope to someone. I get to serve and see how God is using me in impacting some people in a positive way. I just love people and love helping people. It is always an honour to get a chance to be kind to someone, show sympathy and empathy in most interactions. Above everything to do all these things in love and gratitude.
My biggest highlight of my career thus far was to experience working in a small village in Limpopo (Ga-Kgapane). I have never experienced such joy in helping communities that are disadvantaged in so many ways and still be able to give hope and love while I am serving them. I got to make a lot of friends, most of which were patients I had served. Working in a village hospital also brings a certain satisfaction I can not explain because it teaches you to serve and honour people who aren’t able to pay you back but seeing the smiles on their faces when you meet them in public, that’s the biggest flex, I do not take it for granted because it shows you how you are making a difference even though you yourself are facing challenges that you only keep to yourself.
If you were an owner of a pharmaceutical company what would you add, change or do differently in the industry?
This is a very good question but has a lot of complex answers. The pharmaceutical industry is very diverse therefore I will answer in the context of my own experiences. I have experience in both government and private pharmacy. There are a lot of challenges the government sector faces, one of which being a shortage of staff which leads to healthcare personnel being overworked with limited resources at their disposal. This really leads to so much frustration as we can always try to do our best as health care professionals but our government always fails us in providing adequate resources and personnel to promote equal and quality provision of health services in the community we serve.
I would really change the supply chain rules of medication which at most times leave some communities disadvantaged and never getting the right health care they need which is a basic human right. With private ( retail pharmacy ) I would definitely advocate that these institutions add value in their communities by being active in community engagement projects such as doing free HIV tests, High Blood pressure tests, Sugar diabetes tests. I would also advocate that private pharmacies at least have one charity that they support in whatever communities they serve. This will serve as giving back to the community that actually makes retail pharmacies thrive.
What is your biggest responsibility as a pharmacist?
My biggest role as a pharmacist is to make sure that I get positive therapeutic outcomes from patients that I serve by giving them the right medication as prescribed by doctors, or intervene in cases where the patients life might be at risk with the prescribed medication. Continuous professional development is also one of my responsibilities. This helps me to be on par with the relevant treatment guidelines for various diseases and conditions. Keeping up to date with changes in the treatment protocols of various conditions and providing honest and accurate information as well as counselling my patients backed up by thorough current evidence based studies on relevant conditions and diseases.
Any aspiration of opening your own pharmaceutical company in the future?
To be honest, No. I would not like to open my own pharmaceutical company but I wouldn’t mind investing in one. I have an aspiration of owning an orphanage and starting a scholarship programme for disadvantaged children . In terms of my profession I would like to add on the quality of our health system. Improving our national health profile and investing in our public health. I believe that will bring some relief to our nation’s problems.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in the field your in?
You honestly need to love people. Finding joy in serving and helping people will really be a good trait to have because you are going to deal with different people who have different kinds of conditions or diseases. You will also deal with co-workers who will have different perspectives about you and some wont like you because they can not manipulate or control you therefore they will try to sabotage you by all means but when your hope is in the Lord you will be emotionally intelligent to be able to navigate in those situations.
Have the zeal to always be innovative in every space you find yourself in. Be very observant and identify loop holes and problems you can solve. Be a person who is always trying to find new ways of making services better in whatever sphere of pharmacy you find yourself in. Be an asset in all spaces but never be arrogant, God will bless you. In short if serving and loving people is who you are at the core, pharmacy is one of the best ways you can do what brings you joy while making life long connections with people you honour and serve.