I’ve been neglecting to blog over the last couple of months
as I wasn’t sure what to talk about. Living, working in Kenya is my ‘reality’
now, and like I didn’t blog about working in the UK, I kept forgetting that
blogging here is the best way to remind me of how far we’ve come as an
organisation in the projects we’re doing here..
Waiting Lists… I hate it, but I’ve now got one. There are
too many people to be seen here. I know that everywhere has a waiting list and
has to prioritise cases, but how do you prioritise one child with a profound
disability, with communication and eating/drinking difficulties, over another
child with a profound disability, with communication and eating/drinking
difficulties, where both parents have sacrificed more than I’ll ever understand
to travel to come and see me? Answers on a postcard please…
I need to get my head around the numbers of people I’m
seeing each week, and remember, there’s only a certain number of hours I can
work each day… Easier said than done when word has got out in communities far
and wide that speech therapy exists. And that it works…
Long distance therapy… I got a phone call the other week
from a UK number. My initial fear was something was wrong at home, however it
turned out to be a lovely man who had found my number online (still don’t know
where..) who was a Kenyan nurse, now working in the UK. His old pastor in his
home village had had a stroke two months ago, and because he worked in the
British health system, he knew about speech therapy and how important it was to
get seen quickly post onset. His pastor lives in Kitale. A town 3 hours away by
car… They made it to therapy last week, and still can’t believe we offer a free
service. It was quite over whelming to be embraced by this pastor’s some, and be
told that I'm a blessing to his family and am loved by them all…
That same week, I saw a little boy (again, not sure how his
Father got my telephone number) from Eldoret… a good couple of hours away. Cute
kid with a hearing impairment.. Going to be a joy to work with these dedicated
and committed families.
On the flip-side, I had a referral from a colleague in
Nairobi for a lady living in Vihiga. She had no idea speech therapy existed in
western Kenya, let alone in the same county as her. However she soon proved
that she wasn’t really interested in the benefits of speech therapy for her
son when she got the response ‘we don’t
pay for transport’ after she asked when I was going to send her the money to
cover her costs of transport to come and see me.. oh Kenyans.
Groups – Last week I
got to have two of those ‘moments’ where I have it confirmed exactly why I’m
here.
I have been working with a patient called Andrew for 2 years
since he had a stroke. The progress he’s made is a credit to his commitment to
his rehabilitation, however, there’s always been one stumbling block: talking
about his stroke with others.
We always spoken about how great it would be for him to chat
to others and support them in their recovery, as he knows, understands and more
importantly accepts the process. However, he’s always been shy and embarrassed
about it.
A few weeks ago he shocked me in our session when he asked
me if there was a support group for people who have had a stroke in Kisumu. I
explained that there wasn’t, but there was a successful one in Nairobi and I
felt Kisumu would benefit from one too.
He decided to set one up!!! I left the responsibility of
organising to him, explaining that this all helped with working on problem
solving, planning etc… and with a little guidance along the way. He did it.
Tuesday last week saw the first meeting of the Kisumu Stroke Support Group. 5
people attended and all were open in explaining to each other what had happened
to them, how it had affected their work and personal lives and what they wanted
from their future.
The group are going to meet up once a month and I will
attend some of the sessions. It was wonderful to get to interact with such an
inspiring group of people, each supporting the other… hopefully with this
support they will all feel confident in being seen in public.
Talking of groups, Florence (Edna’s mother who YH now
employs) has been working so hard to set up the Mothers of Children with
Handicaps Self-Help Group. They’ve been meeting every week and are just
finalising their constitution and registration as a community based
organisation (CBO). Such a warm, and wonderful group of women, none of them
want hand outs, just a bit of support in how they can provide to their child
with complex disabilities.
I’ll keep you updated, but hopefully soon they’ll have some
products for sale to start generating an income for the group to be used as a
table banking strategy.
From February we’ll have another volunteer SLT with us and
she’ll spend a day a week offering therapy to these children. They live the
equivalent of £3 from Kisumu – that’s more than 2 days worth of food for their
entire family, so at present finding the money needed to come to therapy is
pretty much impossible, hence the need for supporting them in setting up their
CBO.
I’m constantly learning from these groups and I’m excited to
continue working with them next year.
A career high – working in Kenya means I get to achieve some
special things; however, a lot of them aren’t necessary clinical achievements.
I am lucky to work
with an inspiring gentleman called Paul. He’s 28 and has had 3 strokes. The
last one causing the most damage and for the month after his stroke (November
2012) he couldn’t say a thing. His quiet determination throughout the last 6
months I’ve worked with him, where he been desperate to prove that he is able
to return to work and should be given the chance to return to work, has paid
off. He did is first day of work on Monday. He told me it was ‘awesome’!!! I’ve
ALWAYS wanted to work with an adult who’s had a stroke/brain injury and rehabilitate
them enough to return to work. And, after 6.5 years we’ve done it. Best.
Feeling. Ever!!!
