Knowing she’s making a difference keeps Candice on the Covid-19 front line

Candice Randall, of Boston, is a speech therapist at Tygerberg Hospital.

Despite having caught Covid-19, Candice Randall has not lost hope in the continuing fight against the pandemic.


This Bellville speech therapist has worked at Tygerberg Hospital for 14 years. The hospital’s speech-therapy and audiology department continues to be busy with referrals from the wards.


“We have to be very careful all the time to comply with full PPE (personal protective equipment) instructions,” Candice says.


But even with the protection of the PPE, she still caught the virus in May.


“It was a scary experience,” she says. “My main concern was that I could possibly transmit the virus to my family but they all tested negative, thankfully. I only developed mild symptoms and did not have to be hospitalised.”


The provincial Department of Health team contacted all her listed contacts swiftly, and Candice says she was impressed and reassured by the daily follow-up calls by a doctor during week one of her isolation. 


Asked what motivates her to go to work every day, Candice says for health-care workers it is knowing they are making a difference by helping people.


“This has remained the same during the pandemic, but we never thought it would be a situation where our own or our family’s health could be affected by us doing our job. This time has caused many of us to reflect on our motives, and whether the initial impetus for us to do this work is still there. I can’t discover a cure or a vaccine, but I can help with swallowing and language rehabilitation for in-patients in this hospital. I am happy to help in any way I can.”