Declared dead in hospital, polio survivor lives to tell his story

BY HENRY JJEMBA

At 45, Ramathan Lubwama has spent nearly four decades living with the effects of polio, an illness that paralyzed his legs when he was seven years old.

Today, Mr Lubwama earns a living mending shoes along the roadside in Sseguku, Wakiso District, but for years, moving between his home and workplace was a daily struggle.

He says he was born without any disability and enjoyed his early childhood normally until he fell sick at the age of seven.

“My parents did not tell me much about the sickness. I was seven years old when I was taken to Mulago Hospital,” Mr Lubwama says.

He says he spent two-and-a-half years at the hospital, although he remembers little of the period because he was unconscious for much of the time and was fed through a feeding tube.

He recalls a frightening story his elder sister later told him about his time in hospital.

“One time the hospital got a blackout and doctors told my parents that I had died. Being Muslims, we are buried immediately, so my father rushed to our village to dig my grave. When they came back to pick up my body, doctors told them I was still alive as electricity was back,” he says.

Mr Lubwama says he returned home after the lengthy hospital stay with his legs paralysed.

The illness also disrupted his education. Before contracting polio, he had not yet started school, but after returning home, mobility challenges made attending school difficult.

“I think I stopped in Primary Two. My school was in the village of Migadde along Bombo Road. My siblings used to carry me on a bicycle, but later they left and I had nobody to take me to school. The school was very far and I could not crawl there,” he says.

He had wanted to become a doctor, but the disruption to his education forced him to abandon the dream.

“I wanted to be a doctor, but since I did not go to school, I gave up on my dream,” he says.

Instead, Mr Lubwama turned to shoe mending, a trade he has practiced for more than 10 years.

He operates his small business along the roadside on Katale Road in Seguku, repairing shoes for residents and passersby.

His workplace is only about three metres from his home, but the short distance could still be difficult to cover when his wheelchair failed.

“For two years, I had a wheelchair which was donated to me by someone at a function, but it got spoilt. I could crawl, but the stones would press my knees and it was painful,” he says.

He says he never had to pay anyone to help him move because his son could sometimes push his wheelchair.

Despite the challenges, Mr Lubwama says he never missed customers or work because of his inability to move.

His situation has now improved after he received a mobility cart from the Ramadhan Foundation.

He says the cart has eased his movement between his home and workplace, allowing him to continue with the trade that supports his family.

“The cart only helps me in my movement from home to work. Customers still have to find me,” he says.

Mr Lubwama is married and lives with his wife and their four children, two boys and two girls aged 13, 11, 9 and 5years.

His wife fries samosas and cassava which she sells, and the two work in the same area to support their family.

“We work together with my wife. She is not disabled,” he says.

However, Mr Lubwama says the income from their businesses remains insufficient to meet all their needs.

“The funds we get are not enough, but we try,” he says.

Beyond shoe mending, Mr Lubwama now dreams of becoming a mechanic so that he can earn more money and provide better for his family.

He says a mechanic has offered to train him for Shs500,000, but he cannot afford the fee.

“I want to become a mechanic so that I can get money to take care of my children because this is not enough. I found a mechanic who promised to teach me at a fee of Shs500,000, but I do not have the money,” he says.

Mr Lubwama also tries to pass his shoe-mending skills on to others, although he says some people consider the trade embarrassing because of its low income.

“I try to teach some people here, although they do not want to do it. They feel it is an embarrassing business with low income,” he says.

For now, the mobility cart has given him a renewed sense of independence and the ability to continue working.

His hope is that with improved mobility and opportunities to acquire new skills, he can build a more sustainable livelihood for his family.

“I am so grateful to the Ramadhan Foundation,” he says.

The Ramadhan Foundation chief executive officer, Ms Janat Sebunya, said the organisation was committed to supporting people living with disabilities by providing practical assistance that can improve their independence and livelihoods.

Ms Sebunya said access to mobility devices is particularly important for people whose disabilities limit their ability to work, study and participate fully in their communities.

“A mobility device can restore a person's independence and open opportunities that may otherwise remain out of reach. We want people living with disabilities to have the dignity and freedom to move, work and participate in society,” she said.

She said the foundation would continue mobilising support to provide mobility equipment to people who need it.

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