UKZN graduate who survived a stroke beats the odds to get her degree

Nokubonga Sithole suffered a stroke that paralysed the left side of her body in October 2018. She received treatment in hospital and was later discharged to begin her recovery at home.

JOHANNESBURG - Studying for a degree is a challenge in itself, but having to overcome suffering a potentially debilitating health issue at the same time makes the climb up that mountain even steeper.

This is where Nokubonga Sithole found herself over the last couple of years.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student suffered a stroke that paralysed the left side of her body in October 2018. She received treatment in hospital and was ;discharged to begin her recovery at home.

Despite very limited movement on her left side, she resumed her studies in March 2019. With the help of friends, she was able to attend lectures and tutorials and was committed to completing her degree on time.

“I had to push myself to graduate. It was physically, mentally and emotionally draining but I knew I would get through. I had to do it for my mother - she is a single parent with not much income, yet she provides for the family,” Sithole said.

She managed to complete her studies and achieved impressive results. On Friday, she and thousands of other UKZN students had their virtual graduation which was streamed online and broadcast on SABC TV and radio.

Sithole plans to do her honours in psychology and is confident she will recover from her stroke. “I am going for physiotherapy and it is really helping. I know I will be back to my old self soon.”