TRAUMA

DAY ONE

I will never forget the day it happened. It will forever be etched in mind as the day I almost had my last breath. I was perplexed by how easily one can go from one world to the next. With no preparation at all. It is those accidents that leave you questioning what really happened?. I remember that I was really happy this day. I had just accomplished something great in my life and was glad that I could move to the next milestone. I was with my husband and his brother and decided that we will alight just before our stage to meet two of their sister. I was the second to alight and because the space between the bus and the pavement was very narrow I decided the best move would be to jump to the other side of the trench. That was the last decision I made that day since the next thing I heard was a big thud followed by my own cry of anguish. I was disoriented, felt dizzy and could not lift myself up. I was pulled up by two strong hands; I felt one as that of my husband and another one that I could not recognize.

Just like a shot from a movie, I had these many witnesses who wanted to know what had actually happened. I could not relate to anything that was happening as blood was oozing profusely from the space between my eyes. One Good Samaritan asked that we get to a place with a shade where I could sit down. I had a slight moment to look at my face through the screen of my phone and was shocked by what I saw. I was deformed on the forehead and one eye was shut from the trauma. My husband had taken the time to get me a motorcycle to rush me to the hospital since luckily it was a few meters from the accident scene. At the hospital, I had to be stitched and given medication to rub on the areas that were swollen and was discharged. It was that fast and one would think that my injury was not that serious. The instructions were that I should return after three days to have the stitch cleaned.

DAY TWO

I woke up with so much pain from all over my body. My left eye couldn’t open. My right arm had this excruciating pain from the syringe that apparently was to stop the pain. What I needed was a serious massage. It did not just end there my right leg had this numbing sensation that was echoed in my right arm. I could not move out of the bed for a while and spent considerable hours sleeping. When I woke up I heard the phone ringing with my husband saying it had been ringing with relatives and friends who had heard about the accident. Bad news really does travel fast…I decided to chat with some through Whatsapp to let them know that It was not that serious. I must confess the get well soon messages made me teary.

DAY THREE

My husband has this crazy idea to pass time by watching a movie. It is my all time favorite past time hobby so there I am sited, pillow on my back. The bad part is that I have to sleep every few hours as the medicines make me a little drowsy, my hubby must equally take a break too to do house chores. He has had to adjust, cooking he does but washing utensils especially sufurias are not his favorite. The kids do not make it easier for him especially my last born Simon, who is two years and four months who comes in asking for food every few hours.

I crave for my swollen eye to see properly again. To receive the love I felt from my son who is now afraid of me. When I arrived from the hospital he asked me to remove the tissue from my face mistaking the bandage for a tissue. The medicines make me drowsy so when I sleep am like a log. Am woken up by a phone call it is the Vice-chair of my Jumuiya (Small Christian Community), she says she is coming over with some members to pray with my family for a quick recovery. Thank God for my husband, I am a lady who loves a clean house. Am blown away when I get to the sitting room, its sparkling clean. While I was asleep he tended to our children by cooking breakfast, they are now out playing. Since the sitting room is sparkling clean, I proceed to the bathroom to wash my face in patches since the bandage cannot be wet. Today is a blessed day being a Sunday since their prayers give me a renewed strength. They return in the evening after Jumuiya (Small Christian Community) with three other concerned members. The day ends on a good note.
DAY FOUR

I wake up early since I need to go back to the hospital to have my wound redressed.
Although my eye has opened up, it is extremely red; there is a blood clot in the white part of the left eye. I am so worried by this and so is my husband, moreover, I feel a little pain when I look up. I call my doctor and he tells me he will be in at 10 o'clock so I prepare myself to leave with my husband as he goes back to work. Having missed work on Friday, he must appear at work albeit technically. When we get out of the house two things hit me. The first is that am embarrassed coz of the big bandage on my forehead and two am afraid of the stares having to explain what happened to me. We have to walk a few meters to the main road to get a motorbike to take me to the hospital. I have wrapped my head with a headscarf that matches my dress so I walk head facing down to avoid the stares.

When I get to see the doctor he removes the badge and gives me the best news I have heard since the ordeal began. The wound is healing well, he cleans it and now places an elastoplast instead of the big bandage. He is worried about my eye and tells me bluntly that if the blood on the retina does not clear I will have to see an eye specialist. He seeks a second opinion from the head doctor at the hospital who feels the same. He goes on to draft a letter and asks that I seek assistance from an eye specialist from Mbagathi District Hospital.

SUBSEQUENT DAYS

I have received so many friends at my home worried about my accident. Just discovered the importance of friendship at this critical moment. I must confess that although it makes me teary every time I have to explain to them how the accident happened, it makes me a little better each time. I am now stronger after explaining it countless time. Church friends have prayed with me making me a little stronger each new day. Prayers remind you why you are alive and give you the energy to hold on a little longer. They also remind me of the new opportunity I have been granted to make things right and to fulfill my dreams. It is a second chance for me to be a better person, a better mother, and friend. A visit from my church priest reminds me of how important I am as a congregant and seeks to educate me on what I need do to be a better believer. It sparks in me the desire to do good to others and be the testimony that another person desires in their lives. I have had to consult and seek the second opinion from dad and mum which has made me realize how lucky I am to have them. I have been to the specialist and he has assured me that I have no complications on my eye. My eye is merely reacting to the trauma, the ophthalmologist assures me that the redness will disappear eventually but it will take a while. She prescribes me a different eye drop to avoid any complication that might arise.

The red eye has affected me emotionally since I have been relegated to the house. Every time I go out I must cover my head and look down when someone I know passes by. It is hard to explain to strangers as to why one of my eye is more red than the other. It is funny since I should be more worried about the scar in between my eyes that is slowly healing but a reminder of the stitches. It will be a reminder for me for the day I received a second chance at this life.

I attended church today after two weeks of missing in action. It felt extremely nice to be out of the house and to have a moment with God in his altar. Am glad because one the redness in my left eye is gone. It took exactly two weeks to disappear. Two of my worst weeks having to do the traditional sponging on the face.

I washed my face for the first time exactly 15 days after the accident. It felt so good. The things we take for granted. I felt this feeling of relaxation when the water splashed on my face. I could not do it for so long for fear of the stitch opening up. However, I learned a thing or two from this accident that one there is no small accident and two each part of your body is essential. For now, am enjoying God's graces and learning to depend on him to walk with me.