Despite being born with nine mental illnesses and learning disabilities, Curro Heritage House matriculant, Hesme Cronje, was awarded top achiever in the matric Class of 2021, defying her conditions as she achieved a 92.14% aggregate.
Cronje was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, OCD, depression and anxiety disorders. At the age of 13, Cronje was diagnosed with chiari malformation, a malformation of the brain cerebellum. In 2016 she underwent chiari malformation decompression surgery to release intracranial pressure to help reduce some of her symptoms which included limb numbness, headaches and co-ordination issues. “After the surgery I suffered from PTSD and fibromyalgia which still massively impacts me to this day. This means that there were many days that I felt too weak to work or too overwhelmed to go to school. I also have a seizure disorder which means I had multiple seizures due to sensory overstimulation. There were also times when I fell and had to write assessments the next day with dislocated limbs or broken bones. I also have very bad joints and my wrists were not strong enough to write an entire exam so I had to learn to write with both hands to reduce strain,” said Cronje.
However, she did not let her condition get in the way of achieving top marks in her final matric examination. Cronje obtained 91% in Accounting, 96% in Afrikaans, 87% in English, 95% in Information Technology, 93% in Life Orientation, 92% in Mathematics and 91% in Physical Science. Hesme said her favourite subjects were IT, Physics and Maths, which are subjects that really require one to use their analytic ability and can sometimes strain the brain. As a result of her condition, Cronje said over the years she missed out on a lot of school time as she was in pain and had to attend doctors’ appointments, treatments, therapy session; also due to overstimulation. “I had to study by myself, also having to wear special noise-cancelling headphones at school and find creative ways to deal with my need for stemming. I also had a reader in exam times as well as a digital reader for notebooks and worksheets. I had to ask for and was graciously given accommodation to miss certain events in bigger groups and have special rest breaks during the school day when needed,” she said.
Cronje said at some point she lost her speaking ability. “I lost my ability to speak and regained it after Bioflex Laser Therapy treatment, however, I still suffer from post-concussion syndrome and all its challenges. When I lost my speech I used to communicate by writing on a whiteboard and typing on my phone to express needs. Later my friends, teachers, family and I developed hand signals for these times. The real problem was that my confidence was negatively affected and I had to restore it through therapy and acceptance of my new normal,” she added. She said even though she was able to achieve a lot in her matric year, she would never challenge anyone with any condition to do the same. “Having a condition, whatever it may be, definitely hinders you. For me it was very difficult to get up and finish a paper after having a seizure. What I can say is that no condition can prevent you from being resilient, having faith, hope and getting up every time. I want to encourage others in my position to never give up. To not use their conditions as an excuse, but rather, an explanation of what they are going through. Acknowledge that you have limitations but never stop fighting to live your best life,” she added.
Cronje said she gives credit to her service dog, Raindrop, who is a multi-purpose service dog; he is a support dog who detects seizures before they happen. “Raindrop relays me to sit down or lay down when I am about to have a seizure and helps me relax so that I do not get hurt and assist me during the recovery process. He also brings me things after the seizure, like my earphones to help me dampen sound, a water bottle or my cellphone to help me contact someone. He also does guide walks when I’m not very strong, I can push on him when I walk up stairs and he helps calm me down by applying pressure therapy. He is basically my best friend,” said Cronje. Cronje said she will be taking a gap year this year so that she can focus on her health, life skills and activism for mental illness and autism. “I will also be taking time to fine-tune my service dog’s tasks. My biggest goal is also developing my own application to assist Neurodivergent people. Maybe in 2023 I will continue with my studies, pursuing a degree in computer science online,” she added.
Cronje has an Instagram account where she shares her journey aimed at creating awareness on her conditions, also writing about what it’s like to have a service dog and the challenges she faces. Follow Cronje on Instagram, @autistic_hessy.
