“I have lost my sight, but I am still alive” Emma’s story
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 23/Jul/2009 07:24, 34 days ago
Over the several few weeks I have befriended Emma. Emma is a bright and seemingly confident young lady who, despite having been through more trials in 2 years than many go through in a lifetime, still looks for the positive side of life. Her story is one of resilience and perseverance and she is an inspiration to me. I’m determined to help her in whatever small way I can and you can be sure I’ll be writing about her again.Here is Emma's story:Before March 2007, Emma lived the life of a typical ambitious young lady in her mid-twenties trying to make a name for herself in Nairobi. However, in March 2007 everything changed when she experienced watery eyes and severe pains in the back of head. She went to the hospital and was treated with painkillers for a few months. In July 2007, both her left and right eyes become red and she‘started to see black’, was treated with eye drops, and her sight was restored temporarily, however within days she was re-infected, she lost her peripheral vision and things progressively started to get worse. By August, Emma was devastated. She visited 2 separate clinics – one prescribed an injection which she could not afford and another prescribed tablets which she was instructed to take for a period of 3 days. To her dismay, her sight continued to deteriorate and she could only see bright things and she started to lose hearing in her left ear.After learning about her condition and hearing the disparity and desperation in her voice when she called them, her parents in faraway Busia went on a 3-day fast and prayer session. Shortly thereafter they came to bring their newly blinded daughter home to Busia, near the Ugandan border, to be taken care of. At a hospital in her home town, Emma was correctly diagnosed as having meningitis and was immediately admitted to hospital. By October 2007, in addition to vision and hearing loss she started to feel numbness in her left leg, rendering her incapable of walking. And after visiting 3 different hospitals in Kenya and Uganda, she was ready to give up.Just when Emma thought things could not get any worse, they did. On December 28, 2007 following Kenya’s disputed national election results, tribal violence broke out and she and her family were driven from their land and all of their possessions were destroyed. “They took away and destroyed everything”, relays Emma. They spent their days outside of the police station in Busia and slept in buses, with the police surrounding their compound to protect them against armed groups who were threatening to harm or kill them. The President of Uganda opened the Kenya-Uganda border at this point and allowed them, along with many others, to cross into an IDP camp without any documentation. Theyspent 3 weeks in January in a Red Cross camp, then moved to Mulondo Transit Camp in Tororo, Uganda until March 2008. Emma confessed that she was very scared in the camps – in addition to learning to live with her disabilities, she was also terrified of being attacked. While in the camp, Emma befriended an aid worker from Plan International who brought her to hospital for rehabilitation of her legs. “I was so encouraged by my friend from Plan International. He gave me hope and strength,” explains Emma. She was also introduced to some television reporters from KTN who wanted to feature her on a television news program.Emma explained to the news crew that she was still in denial and was embarrassed by her condition, and she did not want her friends back home to see her in this condition. Nonetheless, she agreed to the interview and this turned out to be a true blessing. The news aired for 3 days and during that time, the Kenya Union of the Blind’s Executive Officer and the Country Director of SightSavers International’s (SSI) Kenya office saw the feature and decided that this young lady needed to be helped. After they made a few phone calls, Emma was located and arrangements were made for her return to Nairobi, along with her mother.To this day, the Country Director of SSI affectionately and accurately describes Emma as “the girl that is full of determination despite many calamities.”Back in Nairobi, Emma was immediately brought to Kenyatta Hospital only to be told that her sight loss was irreversible. She was then referred to KISE where every day for a year she was picked up by a van and she learned to read Braille, type, as well as mobility and daily living skills. She missed classes occasionally when she was too tired or became overwhelmed by her condition. Her mom and she were also provided with a flat to stay in, while they got their lives back in order.Emma continued her learning in April 2008 by taking computer and assistive technology training at UDEK. She now has a computer of her own as well, thanks to a project through the Kenya Union of the Blind, made possible through Computer Aid International. Emma giggles as she explains how Martin, KUB’s Executive Officer, provided her with inspiration and hope “Martin was a person who really inspired me. After talking to him on the phone so many times, I kept wondering ‘Who is this Martin who is so courageous, so confident and so good?!’ I got so encouraged by him.”In May 2009 she graduated from a course at the Kenya Association of Professional Counsellors, where she was trained for 1 month along with 12 other persons with visual impairments. She now aspires to continue her studies at university, if she can find a sponsor, and become a counselor so that so that she can use the hardships she has suffered through as learning experiences to help others.“Dying is one thing, but losing part of your body is another”, explains Emma. “I feel like I need to do more for others, and fight with the rest.” Despite her difficulties, Emma still has plenty of hope for the future: “I have lost my sight, but I am still alive!” She says she is starting to be able to see light in one eye.Emma’s family is trying to re-build their life back in Nairobi as well. In Busia, her father ran a shop where he sold household items including utensils and plastic goods, however everything was destroyed in post-election violence. The family is currently surviving off of small sales at a vegetablestand her mother runs and off of the goodwill of others. The family hopes to find capital to start up a small shop and is seeking capital to make this possible.