I was walking out from a lecture one
afternoon in college when the boy in front of me fell to the ground,
unconscious. I got very frightened, there had been several cases of black
students dying mysteriously and I thought, woi, another one bites the dust,,,
I bent down to look at him, he was very still. I looked about me and everyone was going about their business, some Persian and
Chinese students passed by, giving me the- what’s up with your boyfriend?-look, so
I beckoned another black student, a Sudanese who called to his friend in
Arabic to come and help. I carried his
bag and things, and when we got to the school gate, the guards rang the nurse
and said a negro was sick.
A
Ugandan girl from my neighbourhood saw me and came to ask what was the matter,
we found out the boy was a Motswana so she ran to call their country representative.
He came quick, from the forth floor, in block 5. The nurse had not come, she
was in first floor in the administration block.
Anyway. The representative came and
drove the boy off to a clinic somewhere. I looked for him another day and
introduced myself, we became friends. I wanted to ask, why did you drop on the
hard tarmac like that, but I never did.
Over 5 years later, I found myself
writing stories from questionnaires
about kids with epilepsy, and when I was done I thought.
Am I ignorant or just a typical lower middle
class member of the herd?
I decided to read about epilepsy, talk to people with epilepsy, consult doctors and now I knew what this kifafa is. And the more I talked to people the more I remembered people I have met who have epilepsy.
Monday 13th February 2017
was International Epilepsy day. This year’s theme was putting epilepsy in the picture.
What that means simply put is there is a need for people to learn about
epilepsy, talk about epilepsy. That way, the stigma that shrouds this condition can be reduced.
So here are five facts about epilepsy.
ü Epilepsy/ Kifafa is a brain
condition that occurs when there is an injury to the brain
What can
injure the brain?
Difficult births
Cerebral
Malaria
Accidents
ü Anyone can get Epilepsy
Anyone? Even
me?
Yes even me,
and you because like in the first point, anything that injures or poisons the
brain can lead to epilepsy. So wear a helmet on that boda boda okay?
 |
| healthline.com |
ü Epilepsy is treatable
So do you
mean If I go to the clinic they will give me drugs and I’ll be fine next week?
No. What that
means is, when it is discovered that you have epilepsy, a medical practitioner
will give you anti-epileptic medication which helps to reduce seizures.
Seizures don’t have to overtake your life.
ü Epilepsy is not contagious
So if someone
has a fit, don’t be afraid that touching them , their saliva, their urine or being
close when they fart can cause you get epilepsy. Be ready to assist people
with epilepsy.
ü Not all seizures are the same
People
associate epilepsy with jerking movements, sudden falls and biting one’s
tongue.
Some people just seem blank or
confused for few minutes, then they
continue with whatever task they were involved in.
Read
more here: www.kawe-kenya.org
