Tales of Waguti

From a distance you can see his broad smile spread across his face displaying his beautiful dental formula

Born on 03^rd March 1991 to peasant parents the late Ochwo Gerald and Amaidit Magdalene in a small village called Akworot South West in Tororo county North, Waguti Thomas like any newly born child was such a bundle of joy to his family.               

Life was normal until about two months later when little Thomas developed a kind of skin infection his mother called “Ekwam” to mean measles. The financially struggling couple then sought herbal remedies with the hope that their little son would heal from the rash but this didn't turn out as expected and it cost Thomas the ability to walk right from infancy.

Thomas is able to still smile through the storm of disability that has swept across his life for almost twenty three years now

Thomas' contagious smile that has carried him through life's storms

Nine years later Thomas was still crawling like an eight month old baby. The infection had spread through to his brain affecting his nervous system thus rendering him crippled. Several trips in and out of hospitals in an effort to cause him walk normally were all futile. First it was to Benedictine Hospital Tororo where Thomas was referred to Mbale regional referral Hospital for further examination, the journey toward the Cape of Good Hope did not end in Mbale as a determined mother Magdalene took Thomas to Jinja Referral Hospital. Doctors gave them the same report that Thomas had Encephalitis.

The journey to the “Cape of Good Hope” came to a halt with Thomas now bound to being un able to walk normally ever again 

On their return from Jinja, Benedictine offered Thomas a Goplus walking support machine, which brought some ray of hope to the already crushed family. With support of the walking equipment, Thomas was able to somehow start “walking”.

Thomas with support of a pillar is able to stand up staright

The year is 2001, Thomas is now ten years and he has to think of starting school.        Like any young boy with lots of dreams and ambition, Thomas then starts schooling in Akworot primary School one rural school in the community.

Thomas had barely spent months at school before his father passed on. The person on his father came with a lot of pain for the family but also blame game from the man’s side who accused the woman; Thomas’ mother for the misfortune. This forced Thomas and mother to move out of Akworot and buy a plot of land in the next village so they could settle. This migration still did not deter Thomas from pursuing his academic dream. Infact he had to walk for close to three kilometers to his school.

While at school, he experienced lots of challenges like poor vision, scolding from his classmates, isolation and many other forms of discrimination. This kind of ill treatment coupled with slow processing of class content caused the young man study primary one for three years without a single promotion to primary two. Out of school Thomas was regularly beaten up by road users mistaking him for a drunkard now that he had outgrown the walking support machine because of his height. This made him struggle with walking. He actually walks while staggering as though a drunkard which made it so easy for mistaken identity.         

          

Thomas humorously sharing his story

                     

Fear engulfed Magdalene who always waited anxiously for her son to return home safely. This fear doubled during the rainy seasons with fear that Thomas would drown into the stream on his way to or from school since he had to sometimes use the stream as a shorter route to school.

This was too much for a mother who was now taking care of four children single handedly. That’s how Thomas’ academic journey came to stand still.

Thomas still smiles like one lucky man who as just hit a jackpot, he goes about doing some like chores like sweeping the compound and once in a while collecting firewood. The shocking revelation is that Thomas actually looks after two nice looking cattle. The two animals are his best companions since Thomas always starts and ends his days grazing them. The 32 year old now finds peace and fulfillment in taking care of these animals that seem to have found a true friend in Thomas while in the jungles but also while at home.           

                                     

Thomas' companions waiting on their best friend

 There are moments he has had to vent out some anger and frustrations in life on those that continue to harass him. On one fateful day as Thomas went about giving his animal friends a lunch treat in the jungles, he was attacked by one
juvenile and in the process got hit on the head; a scar he still bears till date but in retaliation Thomas destroyed almost an acre of planted groundnuts that belonged to family of the attacker. This destruction cost Magdalene some coins since she has to pay for the damages caused by her son.   

But in all of this, Thomas has not let his disability rob him of his smile and future.