Teacher Monix Hetemeyer, who started the Teachers’ Initiative Online Programme to help engage students and support educators while schools were closed owing to COVID-19 restrictions, is navigating a new normal after having her leg amputated in the aftermath of a car crashing into the restaurant where she was dining with a friend on the evening of February 20, in New Amsterdam, Berbice.
Stabroek News had previously reported that a man who was allegedly speeding had driven a Toyota 212 car into Big B’s Restaurant on Main Street, New Amsterdam around 10 pm on February 20, injuring two people and shattering its glass frontage. He has since been charged with dangerous driving, failure to render assistance, being an unlicensed driver, and operating a motor vehicle without insurance, this publication was informed.
Hetemeyer, 35, who along with teaching at the New Amsterdam Secondary School is a part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana, now has to deal with challenges she never imagined.
On February 20, she had left home at approximately 6.30 pm with her friend, Charmaine Andrews, and gone to the Big B’s Restaurant. She said the plan was to “hang with my friend… My friend and I were having ice cream and we were seated at one of the tables outside of the establishment,” when the car slammed into them.
Andrews’ injuries were minor, but Hetemeyer sustained a fracture to her left leg and a cut on right. Subsequently, one of her legs had to be amputated from below the knee as a result of an infection which was rapidly spreading. “It was the only option to save the leg,” she said.
Recovery
Hetemeyer said, “there are the good days and not so good days” in her recovery process, adding that the “foot is healing and that’s the most important thing”.
The biggest challenge at present is having to dress the leg every day and receive daily injections. “It is an open wound in the process of healing so you can imagine the discomfort there,” she said.
Hetemeyer’s family and friends have rallied around her as she braves this journey. “My family has been great. I have a lot of support from them…My husband, his mom, my mom and dad, my sister, my church family… They have all been great,” she said.
As it relates to how they are coping with the situation, Hetemeyer stressed that she remains positive and thus her family is coping well. “This largely is attributed to my response to the situation. I think because I have remained positive, they in turn are also positive. If I were depressed and discouraged, I know that their reaction would have been different,” she said.
“I am a Christian and so God has been my abiding strength. I know that I cannot make it without Him. So, above all else, I would encourage anyone in my situation to hold on to your faith. There is something miraculous about putting your faith in an all-powerful God. This gives me a sense of security and lets me know that my future is secured.”
Hetemeyer’s outlook is not surprising. Teachers’ Initiative Online Programme had morphed into Teachers Initiative Forum with 1,500 followers that among other things helped teachers and students adjust to distance teaching/learning. She is also credited with creating a Spanish handbook to assist university students.
Currently, in terms of her professional life, she is not able to attend school physically and the course she teaches at the university is currently on a break until April 4. When it restarts, it will be done online which will be beneficial to her.
Hetemeyer took the opportunity to encourage people who might be in similar situations, to “lean on the people around you who are willing to support you and try as much as possible to maintain a positive outlook. It will be hard but it’s attainable… Pinpoint all the good things in your life and be grateful for them.”
A GoFundMe was started by Hetemeyer’s friend Petra Richmond to assist with her medical bills. https://www.gofundme.com/f/monix-hetemeyer-new-life-support-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet
The GoFundMe describes Hetemeyer as a “Guyanese singer, musician, and educator. She is a wife and mother to two wonderful children. Monix has dedicated her life to serving her family and her community.”
It added, “This experience has been shocking and traumatic for Monix and her family, considering she was perfectly healthy before the bizarre accident. In the midst of this trial, Monix’s optimistic spirit, strength, and trust in God have proven to be unshakable. She remains positive and has even encouraged her loved ones not to worry. She stated that even without her leg she will still accomplish her goals.”
