By Pauline Odhiambo
Patience Achieng was 14 when a stroke snatched from her the ability to walk and talk. The Nairobi girl regained her speech two weeks later, but it would take her another three years to walk again.
"It happened in my first year of high school in 2014. I went to the school dispensary after catching a fever. They thought it was malaria, so I was given some medicine to treat it," Patience, now 24, recounts to TRT Afrika.
When Patience's condition didn't improve with medication, her parents took her to hospital.
Two weeks after hospitalisation, Patience was discharged to recuperate at home. But her health took a turn for the worse within days.
"I woke up one morning and couldn't feel my legs," she says. "I couldn't feel my arms and was unable to talk. I was paralysed overnight."
Tests revealed a clot in the heart had cut off blood supply to Patience's brain, causing a stroke.
According to the World Health Organization, stroke due to a clot can happen for several reasons.
In children from 29 days to 18 years old, stroke is often associated with congenital heart conditions and sickle cell disease.
Other risk factors include infectious diseases, trauma to the head or neck, vascular problems and blood disorders.
"The doctor said I would never talk or walk again because my stroke had been very severe, so it was a miracle when I started talking two weeks later," recalls Patience.
"I woke up mumbling one morning and told my mom, 'Do you know I can talk now?' Just like the stroke, my speech came back to me overnight. Even the doctor was shocked."
Journey to recovery
Patience used various mobility aids, including a walking frame and a wheelchair, before finally regaining a semblance of balance.
Her determination to walk again was bolstered by a deep desire to resume her secondary school education.
Several schools turned her away, claiming they lacked the infrastructure to support a disabled student.
"I fought for my place in school, but going back was another journey towards self-acceptance," says Patience, who is now pioneering a project to provide schools with accessible ramps.
"I was still using a walking aid, and that's when it hit me that I have this disability. My family had been helping me with everything all along, but it was tough accepting that I now had to rely on my schoolmates for help."
Since Patience's left leg and hand were still weak, getting in and out of the classroom was a struggle.
"It would take me about an hour to walk to class. Even writing and drawing was difficult because I couldn't use both hands, which made some of the teachers a bit impatient with me," she recalls.
Some of Patience's former classmates were a godsend. "They helped me get ready, escorted me to the classroom, and were with me every step of the way," she says.
One day, tired of getting help, Patience decided to try walking unassisted to class. She immediately fell and suffered cuts on her legs. A few more bruising attempts later, the spunky teenager finally walked unassisted to class.
"I needed to do that for me to survive and to feel good about myself," says Patience, who graduated in 2019 and enrolled for university.
"I don't use walking aids anymore, although there is always concern about my balance. If I want to stand straight, I have to bend my left leg. But otherwise, I am good," she says.
Mental wellness
Patience's university education was cut short by funding challenges, a situation that brought back depression.
"I contemplated suicide, often asking myself, 'Why should one person suffer this much?' Luckily, my parents quickly took me to a psychologist, who helped me heal again," she tells TRT Afrika.
Patience began writing articles and sharing them in forums and support groups for disabled people, eliciting positive feedback and encouragement.
"I got tired of waiting for the school system to accommodate me, so I channelled my energies into helping young children and teenagers feel included and protected," says Patience, who now works with UNICEF and the Gifted Community Center in Nairobi.
"My focus is on the mental wellness of children with disability and to assure them that there are policies protecting their right to be in school and be treated well."
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