Judith Sephuma is grateful to be alive

Life is a gift, and Judith Sephuma knows this too well, and is grateful to be alive.

After surviving two ICU visits that had people fear for her life, she dedicated her life to being more healthy.

Two years ago, she was admitted to hospital and treated for high blood pressure.

“I was rushed to ICU a few times but during my most recent hospitalisation, I heard thrm say that I was going to die. I told myself that I needed to look after my body and if I made it I would do everything in my power to make sure that I was healthier and never return to ICU,” she said.

She was first treated for extreme heartburn before doctors discovered that she had high blood pressure, which had enlarged her organs.

“I was travelling to Nelspruit when I was rushed to hospital thinking I had extreme heartburn. They treated me for it but when I got back to Johannesburg, I could hardly walk and I was rushed back to hospital where doctors discovered that I had high blood pressure and my organs were inflated.”

The award-winning musician’s “near-death experience” motivated her to make several lifestyle changes and inspired her to learn to swim.

“Learning to swim was always on my bucket list but I never felt like I had enough time to learn. In the last two yeats, I have started running more and now I have taken up swimming. I have to look after myself and this is just another way to do that.”

She is loving the thrill of learning to swim, adding that her children were overjoyed at the thought of their mom joining them in the pool.

“The scariest part for me was putting my head in the water but once I got used to it, I loved the feeling. I am a real water baby.”