…as Boiketlo Ba Basali Foundation reignites fund-raising campaign for woman battling debilitating eye condition
Rethabile Pitso
FOR years, ‘Makarabo Letsoela has lived with pain, uncertainty and the crushing reality of watching her health deteriorate while desperately searching for a solution.
Now, as the condition affecting her right eye threatens to spread to her left eye and has increasingly limited her ability to perform even the simplest daily tasks, she is once again turning to the Basotho nation for help.
At the heart of her ordeal is a procedure she believes went catastrophically wrong. Ms Letsoela alleges that a debulking operation at Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH), performed by a head and neck specialist together with an eye specialist, left her disfigured and in agony she can still barely describe.
“Following that second procedure, I was in immense pain; unbearable pain that was worse than labour pains,” she said.
Her ordeal began in 2019, when what initially appeared to be a small infection in her right eye developed into a debilitating condition. She says the problem worsened dramatically, eventually leaving her with a severely swollen and disfigured eye. Her first diagnosis at QMMH was that she had a cyst. The growth disappeared after three days, only to return a month later. On 3 January 2021, it returned again – this time, permanently, she says.
What followed was a years-long journey through hospitals, consultations, biopsies, scans and surgical procedures, one she says has left her physically, emotionally and financially drained. She has undergone three procedures in total: two at QMMH and another at National Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, after being referred there by then Maseru District Hospital Head of Eye Department and ophthalmologist Dr Wenjun Fan.
At the Bloemfontein hospital, she spent almost three years undergoing investigations after doctors initially suspected cancer.
“I was treated at National Hospital for close to three years where they performed numerous biopsies after initially suspecting cancer; about seven biopsies were conducted. They conducted MRI scans but still found nothing,” Ms Letsoela told the Lesotho Times in an interview this week.
Her hopes of finally receiving specialised treatment in India were later raised when she approached the Minister of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, Nthati Moorosi, who referred her to then Minister of Health Selibe Mochoboroane. According to Ms Letsoela, Mr Mochoboroane helped have her name placed on a list of patients earmarked for treatment in India. But the trip never happened. She says she was later informed by the Ministry of Health that Lesotho’s agreement with India had collapsed and that the government no longer had funds to assist her further.
With that avenue closed, Ms Letsoela returned to Lesotho and was referred back to QMMH for another procedure – the one she believes worsened her condition beyond repair.
“At QMMH I was assigned two doctors to perform a debulking procedure. One was an eye specialist and the other a head and neck surgeon,” she said. She recalls waking up after the operation to find only the head and neck specialist present.
The doctor later recommended a further procedure to graft skin over the affected area. But Ms Letsoela believes she was returned to theatre before the tissue had properly healed. She repeatedly went back to the hospital seeking relief, but says her complaints were dismissed before she was eventually placed on strong painkillers. Unable to bear the situation, she returned to Bloemfontein, where doctors discovered a tumour and successfully removed it.
“I learnt after this procedure that the surgeon at QMMH made many errors during my first operation. Firstly, he cut directly above the eye, which affected the eyelids. Secondly, I was wheeled back into theatre too soon, before the same eyelids had completely healed,” she said.
Ms Letsoela says the complications left her without functioning eyelids and with permanent damage that could affect her ability to blink even if future surgery is successful.
“The eye will have vision but I will not be able to blink, which will lead to dryness,” she said.
She disputes claims that her condition was worsened by treatment in Bloemfontein, insisting the problems began after her procedures at QMMH.
Today, Ms Letsoela is no longer able to live the life she once knew. Before the illness, she was a hardworking businesswoman who says she went to great lengths to provide for her family. She now lives with her two children, one of whom is autistic and requires specialised care. The pain and swelling have become so debilitating that she struggles to walk, cook or clean for extended periods. And there is another frightening development: her left eye is beginning to show familiar symptoms: the same symptoms she felt initially on her right eye.
For Ms Letsoela, the prospect of losing the remaining function of her eyes is not merely a medical concern. It is a threat to her independence, her ability to care for her children and her hope of rebuilding a life interrupted seven years ago.
When government assistance failed to materialise, she once again turned to the public. A previous fund-raising campaign raised approximately M200,000, which helped her meet some of the costs of treatment in Bloemfontein and survive financially after she lost her ability to earn a living. Now, a new campaign is being launched to give her another chance. Local businessman Moss Mpholo has helped establish a BackaBuddy platform, while other organisations and individuals have pledged their support.
Ms Letsoela says transparency will be central to the new campaign, particularly because questions were previously raised about how donations were being used.
“Last year, people who drove the fund-raising initiative included Juju Mahase, Tsolo Matekane and Moss Mpholo. As for Mr Mpholo, he has never faltered in any way; he kept consistently helping me,” she said. She says those behind the new initiative have committed themselves to providing regular updates on funds received and how the money is spent.
The call for help was given fresh momentum on Sunday when the Boiketlo Ba Basali Foundation, also known as “A Woman’s Kept Promise”, invited Ms Letsoela to a thanksgiving ceremony. It was there that the foundation’s founder, Ms Moorosi, announced that the organisation would help reignite the fund-raising campaign.
“We are a crew of women that came together in faith to help one another out on issues that affect our livelihoods. ‘M’e ‘Makarabo has been asking for help for a long time and our government failed her. We have therefore agreed to see that she gets the help she needs through our Foundation,” Ms Moorosi said.
Ms Letsoela has endured years of pain, but she has not given up. Now, she is asking Basotho not to give up on her either. The appeal is ultimately about more than money – it is about being given one more opportunity to seek the specialist treatment she believes could change her life. She believes India remains her best hope of receiving the complex care she needs, and is appealing to individuals, companies, organisations and anyone moved by her story to help her get there.
Meanwhile, QMMH has declined to comment on her allegations, citing ongoing litigation. QMMH spokesperson Thakane ‘Makananelo Sepipi referred the matter to Managing Director Dr ‘Makhoase Ranyali, who also declined to discuss the case.
“I am not in a position to speak about ‘M’e ‘Makarabo because she has lodged a case against us; that issue is in the courts of law as we speak. Besides that, I am on leave and am not inclined to speak about such issues,” Dr Ranyali said in a telephone interview.
