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Thandie graduated from Edge Hill University, Manchester in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Operating Department Practice, and has since devoted herself to serving a wide variety of people in critical care settings at home and abroad including geriatric, adult, and pediatric patients. 

Now as an Operating Department Practitioner, also known as a Surgical Practitioner, she has proved instrumental in assisting surgeons during various complex surgical procedures. 

Her support in surgical settings has included aiding anesthesiologists, caring for postoperative patients who experience difficulty coping with the consequences of certain procedures, comforting children with special needs, patient reassurance in mitigating trauma during hospital stays, working in critical care facilities and in the ICU throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and communicating unfavorable news pertaining to the loss of loved ones.

Thandie also leverages her professional capacities to help foster collaboration in her own community. For instance, she is regularly called upon to mediate disputes between parties in both familial and local settings, particularly when visiting home in Malawi.  

One such source of contention has been the treatment of Thandie’s mother, who since being diagnosed with dementia has been left in the hands of professional caregivers. Yet during one of her most recent visits to Malawi, Thandie witnessed her mother mistreated by her own staff as they used force to maneuver her to the toilet without adequately addressing her mother’s psychological needs or explaining what was happening.

In many Sub-Saharan African environments, the care of elders, the sick, or those otherwise health-compromised is often conducted in rural village settings with mixed access to professional training or medical equipment. Thandie wants to spread the knowledge and skills required to provide the best possible care.