Leah Makanda almost died twice earlier this year. Login or signup to continue reading Both times she had what are known as " near-death experiences ". "I had two experiences like that in January and February," Leah, 39, said.
She lives with Addison's disease, which led her to suffer life-threatening adrenal crises. Her husband Rob Makanda, a doctor, resuscitated her. "Both times I went unconscious and I could hear music far off," Leah said.
"It was like I could see my husband working on me. It was like I was there but not there, not in my body. "I could see him and myself.
I could sense my kids sleeping in the other room. "When I regained consciousness I could still see the fear in my husband's eyes, but I had no fear. It was very strange.
" As a Christian, she believes in life after death. "I was in a critical condition, but I felt this great peace. The sounds I heard were, for me, like angels singing," she said.
"I knew in that moment I was hanging in the gap between life and death. I could feel and sense that. There was absolutely no fear of going.
"I'm glad I didn't. My work's not finished here. I have lots to do and kids to raise.
" She said the experience "makes me live a bit differently, more grateful and probably more courageous". The Newcastle Herald reported in April that Leah was paralysed in Uganda , after contracting malaria and sepsis and suffering a pulmonary embolism. She grew up in Newcastle and Maitland and had been helping the poor for years.
Family friend Rod Marshdale started a GoFundMe for her. It raised $16,000 to fly her home with medical assistance in May. She was born with McCune-Albright Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects bone growth and the body's hormone balance.
"I've had 20 different surgeries on my bones. There's been a lot of physical trauma to my body. "My brain was like 'I can't do it anymore.
I can't keep her functioning or walking'. "We also have a stressful but rewarding job. I guess my brain needed a break.
" She spent eight weeks in John Hunter Hospital and has been doing rehabilitation at the Rankin Park centre. Doctors diagnosed her with FND [functional neurological disorder] , a chronic illness that affects how the nervous system and body send and receive signals. "It's been a long road.
I can hobble around the house we're staying in, but I'm still confined to the wheelchair whenever we go out. "Long-term, we're not sure. They said we need to wait a year or two after diagnosis to determine the long-term prognosis.
"As my legs have started to work and my arms regained movement, I'm now suffering from seizures and tics." At times, she has lost her speech and has short-term memory issues. "The doctors have been amazing, helpful and supportive and helped me understand it all," she said.
She said the Newcastle community had been amazing. "We're staying somewhere rent-free at Pelican and people drop us food off, as we have no income at the moment," she said. "People have been going over and above and so many people supported us to get home.
It blows me away. I still can't believe it. "We're so thankful and feel blessed.
We're grateful God and people have been taking care of us." Leah and Rob established The Mbuyu Foundation , which runs literacy, food and sports programs - along with life and business skills - in Katanga slum in Uganda. The programs aim to help people lift themselves out of poverty.
"So many people have gotten to know about the work we're doing in Uganda. Children have been sponsored because of your [previous] article," she said. "When you can give yourself to others, the blessings, joy and peace it gives us makes us realise we aren't supposed to be here to look after ourselves.
"We're supposed to be here to help each other and make the world a better place." She misses Uganda, where she has lived for 11 years. "I love everything about Uganda.
It's home now. I have a deep ache to be back there and with the people we work with." Health and medicine, science, research, nutrition, sport.
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