Mother of two bedridden after five-year battle with MRSA

Despite being bed-ridden, mother of two Jennina Shi­vani, 30, still holds on to hope.

She is suffering from severe me­thicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria resistant to several com­mon antibiotics, making it difficult to treat.

The infection has affected her left hip joint, causing disability, continuous pain and reliance on daily painkillers. Her family is now struggling to raise funds for further treatment. Ms Shivani uses crutch­es and a wheelchair to move around and access basic facilities such as the bathroom.

She has been living with the condi­tion for the past five years and is of­ten unable to care for her two young children, who are mostly looked af­ter by her parents and husband.

Despite her condition, she re­mains hopeful that she will recover and watch her children grow while continuing her small business.

"I will not give up easily on this sickness. I believe a day will come when I will stand on my own two feet again, walk and take care of my children and my family," she said.

Ms Shivani runs a small canteen from her rented home in Narewa, Nadi.

Her husband Ron Prakash, has sacrificed his work to stay home and care for her and their children.

She has been recommended by As­pen Medical for treatment in India, which may involve a staged proce­dure to remove infected implants, insert an antibiotic spacer and later carry out revision surgery to elimi­nate the infection.

Mr Prakash is appealing to the public for financial assistance to help cover the medical costs.