Paralysed for 32 years: How he has coped
Jan 10, 2006
By Wagwau Jamesa
When a slap of fate hits hard, which mortal man can take it with a smile? Wilson Wanyama is the man whose story is different. He injured his spinal cord in 1974 and since then has been confined in a wheel chair. But joy and optimism remains his trademark.
Wanyama’s sense of composure intrigued me when I met him in his home in Kamuli near Naalya. He speaks calmly, picking his words with microscopic precision.
Born in Busia 56 years ago, Wanyama went to Butenge primary school, Pioneer Junior School, and later Nabumali High School. He then joined Makerere University for a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in physics and mathematics. As a young man, Wanyama was a celebrated basketball player who played nationally and internationally.
Disaster struck during his final year at university. He fell from a high building and severely injured his spinal cord below his neck.“I gained consciousness over 24 hours later and found myself in Mulago Hospital. My spinal cord got damaged below the neck, resulting into total paralysis from neck downwards,†he says.
His kind of spinal injury results into paralysis of four limbs (hands and legs), a condition medically referred to as quadriplegia. It kept him in hospital for over six months.
Life changes
This turned Wanyama’s life around. He was paralysed from the neck downwards. This meant he could not lift his legs, control bowel movements or feel any pain in the lower limbs. People with spinal cord injuries need urine bags and catheters, a full-time attendant and a wheel chair. “I underwent intensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation,†he says.
“That is where I learnt how to get used to wheelchair life, use adaptive equipments like special hand gargets and the techniques, which make everyday life easier.â€
For a man who was leading an active life, it was not easy to let go of his basketball dreams, adjust to a wheelchair confinement and live a dependent life unable to move his hands and legs without support. He had to be lifted from bed to the wheelchair and from a wheelchair to a seat. He had to be fed like a baby for over 10 years.
“Self-acceptance was the toughest hurdle. I had to learn a new life of inactivity. For sometime I felt self-pity,†he says.
Challenges
Wanyama studied computer and his skills could enable him get an international job but his physical condition brought problems.
“I have missed opportunities. It is common to see a less qualified person being promoted while I remain at the same level,†he says.
As a single father of two, with responsibility of his sister’s children, Wanyama has trudged on.
“My income barely keeps me going. I have to buy urine bags and catheters regularly, I have to have a car and a personal driver and I have to fulfil my church and family obligations,†he says.
Even society constitutes another challenge. “While some people appear concerned and ready to help, others are so hostile to the disabled and others still are indifferent and completely unconcerned,†he says.
“Many shopkeepers have extended to me a sh100 coin in sympathy, thinking I am a beggar when I go to a shop to buy something. I find this quite humiliating,†he says.
Turning point
Perhaps Wanyama could not have handled this had he not experienced what he describes as ‘a testimonial revolution’ in his life. He committed his life to Christ in January 1975 and because of this, he is optimistic. He says he relies on God for guidance, provision and strength.
“God has helped me to cultivate a positive attitude. I realised I could not change my condition but I could change the way I looked at it,†he says.
With this sense of optimism, Wanyama has led a very active career and social life. After graduation, he worked with UEB (now UMEME) for one year before joining the ministry of finance where he has worked as IT staff to date. He has also taken several short courses on information technology.
He lives in his own house, plays key leadership roles in his church (he describes Deliverance Church as his second home), has put up some projects, and has been caring for his mother after his father’s death. Wanyama has also donated over an acre of land and built permanent church premises in Busia.
“I know him as a very kind and loving person. His house was always open for Christian fellowship. We all knew him as a father because of his readiness to share the little he had with everybody,†says Beatrice, a born-again Christian who interacted with Wanyama at Makerere University.
Wanyama’s life exhibits the beauty of seeing roses among the wildest of thorns. Calamities can befall us any time.
Life challenges, as one writer says, are like a knife. They can either cut you or serve you depending on whether you have handled them by the blade or handle.
When a slap of fate hits hard, which mortal man can take it with a smile? Wilson Wanyama is the man whose story is different. He injured his spinal cord in 1974 and since then has been confined in a wheel chair. But joy and optimism remains his trademark.
Wanyama’s sense of composure intrigued me when I met him in his home in Kamuli near Naalya. He speaks calmly, picking his words with microscopic precision.
Born in Busia 56 years ago, Wanyama went to Butenge primary school, Pioneer Junior School, and later Nabumali High School. He then joined Makerere University for a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in physics and mathematics. As a young man, Wanyama was a celebrated basketball player who played nationally and internationally.
Disaster struck during his final year at university. He fell from a high building and severely injured his spinal cord below his neck.“I gained consciousness over 24 hours later and found myself in Mulago Hospital. My spinal cord got damaged below the neck, resulting into total paralysis from neck downwards,†he says.
His kind of spinal injury results into paralysis of four limbs (hands and legs), a condition medically referred to as quadriplegia. It kept him in hospital for over six months.
Life changes
This turned Wanyama’s life around. He was paralysed from the neck downwards. This meant he could not lift his legs, control bowel movements or feel any pain in the lower limbs. People with spinal cord injuries need urine bags and catheters, a full-time attendant and a wheel chair. “I underwent intensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation,†he says.
“That is where I learnt how to get used to wheelchair life, use adaptive equipments like special hand gargets and the techniques, which make everyday life easier.â€
For a man who was leading an active life, it was not easy to let go of his basketball dreams, adjust to a wheelchair confinement and live a dependent life unable to move his hands and legs without support. He had to be lifted from bed to the wheelchair and from a wheelchair to a seat. He had to be fed like a baby for over 10 years.
“Self-acceptance was the toughest hurdle. I had to learn a new life of inactivity. For sometime I felt self-pity,†he says.
Challenges
Wanyama studied computer and his skills could enable him get an international job but his physical condition brought problems.
“I have missed opportunities. It is common to see a less qualified person being promoted while I remain at the same level,†he says.
As a single father of two, with responsibility of his sister’s children, Wanyama has trudged on.
“My income barely keeps me going. I have to buy urine bags and catheters regularly, I have to have a car and a personal driver and I have to fulfil my church and family obligations,†he says.
Even society constitutes another challenge. “While some people appear concerned and ready to help, others are so hostile to the disabled and others still are indifferent and completely unconcerned,†he says.
“Many shopkeepers have extended to me a sh100 coin in sympathy, thinking I am a beggar when I go to a shop to buy something. I find this quite humiliating,†he says.
Turning point
Perhaps Wanyama could not have handled this had he not experienced what he describes as ‘a testimonial revolution’ in his life. He committed his life to Christ in January 1975 and because of this, he is optimistic. He says he relies on God for guidance, provision and strength.
“God has helped me to cultivate a positive attitude. I realised I could not change my condition but I could change the way I looked at it,†he says.
With this sense of optimism, Wanyama has led a very active career and social life. After graduation, he worked with UEB (now UMEME) for one year before joining the ministry of finance where he has worked as IT staff to date. He has also taken several short courses on information technology.
He lives in his own house, plays key leadership roles in his church (he describes Deliverance Church as his second home), has put up some projects, and has been caring for his mother after his father’s death. Wanyama has also donated over an acre of land and built permanent church premises in Busia.
“I know him as a very kind and loving person. His house was always open for Christian fellowship. We all knew him as a father because of his readiness to share the little he had with everybody,†says Beatrice, a born-again Christian who interacted with Wanyama at Makerere University.
Wanyama’s life exhibits the beauty of seeing roses among the wildest of thorns. Calamities can befall us any time.
Life challenges, as one writer says, are like a knife. They can either cut you or serve you depending on whether you have handled them by the blade or handle.