Sharon speaks of her Hwange elephant friends

Given Sharon Pincott’s current inability to be able to respond personally to every message she receives from those who have been profoundly affected by her memoir Elephant Dawn, and also perhaps shed some happy and sad tears while watching freely online the All the President’s Elephants documentary – both of which cover more than a decade of her life and conservation legacy working with wild, free-roaming, elephants in Hwange, Zimbabwe – she summarises here some of the most frequently asked questions that she’s been receiving of late.

1. – We know that Elephant Dawn, the book you were able to write without restraint after fleeing your full-time, voluntary and primarily self-funded, elephant conservation work in the Zimbabwean bush, is available online in paper copy, Ebook and Audio Book, and that your documentary can currently be viewed freely on the Stirr.com website, are both still being read and watched widely. You have some very loyal followers. What does this mean to you? 

Sharon  –  “I’m so very heartened by the interest and impact that these two productions are still having on people around the world from all walks of life. The elephants need all the voices they can get after-all, and it’s really important that, despite some parts perhaps being somewhat confronting and at times rather uncomfortable to realise, we all need to understand – for the elephants’ sake – the very real story of what actually goes on out there in the Zimbabwean bush (and elsewhere). I’m really grateful too to those who take the time to drop me a few words to remind me that it was all worthwhile, despite me not always being able to keep up with the correspondence. Just a week or two ago one kind lady from the UK dropped me a message saying in part –  “…I just wanted to express my deep admiration for the incredible work you’ve done for the ‘Presidential Elephants’ and for the powerful film that so beautifully captures your journey. Your courage, dedication, and unwavering love for these majestic animals are truly inspiring. Thank you for making a difference – your legacy will echo for generations. With heartfelt respect…”  It’s my hope that reader reviews like this one will inspire others to also take the time to understand all that wild elephants, as well as those in the field who choose to speak out for them, so often endure (balanced somewhat by the tremendous friendships made, both human and elephant). And to then do whatever they may be able to, to help protect the elephants from the corruption and lawlessness that engulfs them.”

1. – Your health started to deteriorate during the year after you fled Zimbabwe. Can you expand on the conditions that you are currently suffering from?  

Sharon  –  “Really, there are too many to list, and many that the fortunate healthy person wouldn’t understand in any case. Overwhelmingly, I’ve had over 12 different types of Specialists over the past 10 years, and more conditions seem to be added to my health file every year. (This reminds me of my Police file in Hwange that I wrote about as being as thick as a thesaurus! – despite me being charged with nothing.) The illnesses that have impacted me the most are the two one-in-a-million ones – Stiff Person Syndrome and Scleredema of Buschke Type 2 (not to be confused with Scleroderma, although these do share some symptoms). Both are progressive, incurable, conditions – so there’s no hoping that I am well, or will get well soon! It’s just not going to happen. I’m fortunate to be back in Australia where there is an excellent free public health care system. Just one of my medications is a hospital day care 5-6 hour monthly Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) infusion every 4 weeks – which would cost me in excess of A$15,000.00 every month, should I have to pay for it myself. I sincerely thank those who have subsequently begun donating not just blood, but also their plasma, on a regular basis, since without donor plasma this crucial medication – while not curing, does help to slow the progression of both these diseases – could not be manufactured. I’ve been very touched indeed by those selfless, caring people who have chosen to do this. Stiff Person Syndrome affects the brain, spine, muscles and nerves. Scleredema of Buschke means that my skin and tissue are now around 10 times as thick as a healthy person. Both conditions come with the likes of constant severe pain and fatigue, mobility and balance issues, voice changes, internal organ problems and numerous other symptoms as long as my daily medication list!” 

1. –  Is your health visibly worsening?

Sharon  –  “There’s no denying that it is. And it will continue to do so. During the years – and years – that Specialists were trying to (unsuccessfully) figure out what was wrong with me, I was spending months and months reading scientific papers and accessing reputable medical sites online, knowing that if I was to ever get someone to take my constant unwellness more seriously I needed to continually advocate for myself. In the end, I eventually found both the rarest of my diseases myself, and then requested the required biopsies and non-standard blood tests, etc, to confirm my suspicions. Without having done that, I would not have commenced (the extremely expensive) IVIg when I did, which would have hastened my disability. (Even the recent related hyperhidrosis – debilitating prolific all-over-body sweating, in my case – even when doing nothing, took me to recommend adding another drug to my already extensive cocktail, in order to help control it. I learnt that “dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system that controls functions like sweating and heart rate may contribute to excessive sweating in some people with stiff person syndrome”. And there is certainly still more to figure out.) Unfortunately, it’s all not as easily diagnosable as most cancers for example, with far less known by the Specialists. Unfortunately, relatively little time and research goes into one-in-a-million diseases, at least in my experience, as grateful as I am for the time and availability of the Specialists I need.

I have two different hospital operations (with biopsies) coming up over the next few days and months – neither of which will help the worst of my current health problems – and I can only hope for the best with these.”

1. –  What do you know of what’s happening currently with the elephants in Hwange?

Sharon  –  “I’ve been gone for a long time now but am still contacted quite frequently for information. I do know that there’s still much going on behind the scenes. Things don’t change much while corruption, egos and self-interest, linger. I can only say don’t ever be naive enough to think that just because there’s less people on the ground game to speak out about something, that it isn’t all still happening. Even while I was there always in the field with the elephants, aware of and fighting against so many unscrupulous things that were going on, there were those unprincipled or simply ill-informed and apathetic people – both white and black – who try to benefit personally from all of the deceitfulness and the sweeping of so much under the carpet for their own personal benefit.

I might never be able to return to Africa in this lifetime, but because my heart and soul is etched there with the remarkable elephants who call Hwange home, it still feels like I never truly left. The elephants are forever with me and I can only long for their well-being.”

1. –  Lessons learnt?

Sharon  –  “Dance in the moment. Have no regrets. Hold firm to your tenacity in sickness and health.”