Teamwork! Samewerking! Working together!
The induced lockdown is now in its tenth week and I still find myself without a moment for vegetating in front of the TV! No time to become melancholic and depro. Nope! This is a time we can use to be productive and create something that is both memorable and useful. When we look back, what can we say that we did to make a difference, assist others, or just put a smile on someone’s face – because let’s face it, we all need a helping hand or a gentle economic lift sometimes. And when the rheumatoid arthritis fatigue sets in, someone’s kind deed can go a long way!
During the early days of lockdown, a friend suggested building a website that would help patients with auto-immune illnesses like RA – creating a data bank of useful tips and guidelines to keep healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Before I could say “snapdragon” (as the UK summer approaches and the gardens begin to blossom), a global team between South Africa, New Zealand and the UK was mobilized, and YOUR website was born! Contributors like Dr Visser (rheumatologist), and Lizanne Nel (physiotherapist), pictured left enjoying some R&R whilst at a EULAR conference in 2018; and Janet Wiegand (dietitian), below to the right; have supported you and the community by crafting articles and helpful advice that is credible, reliable, and relevant. Thanks to Ada Deacon in New Zealand and her superb web development skills (Ada and I below), we now have Arthritis-covid19.on-spot-communication.co.za . It was all ready in the blink of an eye – blitsvinnig! Bingo! 
We trust it helps ease the concern around the topic as we all wade through a deluge of material out there! Let us know whether the site adds value and of related topics you may wish to know more about.
No man is an island, and we all thrive when working together in teams or communities. Support is of essence. What are you or your community doing to help others during this time? There are so many uplifting and encouraging stories of everyday people like you and me that are making an incredible difference in the lives of others during these unprecedented times.
As the South African winter sets in, Isabel (right), who lives in a retirement village in the Eastern Cape, recently started knitting beanies for fellow retirees living around her; whilst Mandy (left), their property manager, can often be seen trimming trees in the village or helping the elderly on their daily walks. Meanwhile, Geraldine, who works at a Toyota vehicle dealership, shared the measures they have put in place to protect themselves and their customers; social distancing measures, taking temperature readings of every person entering the premises and limiting the numbers of people permitted into the building. Jen, a Methodist Church minister from Centurion, and her team have been distributing thousands of food parcels to those in need.
When I think about people working in essential services like the frontline medical workers, pharmacists, laboratory workers (and the list goes on and on) and how they are risking their lives for the health of others, then I encourage everyone to do something useful to give back to those in need during this time. So many people are lonely and isolated, hungry, stressed out – volunteer to help in some way. Please. Do something. Bless someone with a kind gesture, a loving word, or a random act of kindness. As a community, let us build one another up, support one another and be there for others. Lockdown has made us all look at the world so differently, made us ponder our lives, connect with others more and get closer to our families. See…. many positives are coming out of this challenging time!
Share your acts of kindness with us, we’d love to hear from you!
Charlene
Charlene Lamb is a strategic communications professional and has enjoyed an illustrious career in the corporate world before steering her public relations consultancy in South Africa and the United Kingdom. She also enjoyed an exciting time as a journalist in the United States, interviewing many famous personalities. She is married and has three energetic fur babies: her Jack Russells, Chilli, Vlekkie and Sammy and is passionate about primates and the welfare of animals.
