KCPE star Fatuma Abdi: I want to pursue medicine and treat my mother's cervical dystonia
Fatuma Abdi of Nakuru Elite who scored 406 marks in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education tests at home in Shabab Estate in Nakuru City on December 23, 2022.
Fatuma Abdi,14, of Nakuru Elite School who scored 406 marks in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) tests, has dedicated her good results to her ailing mother.
Fatuma's dream of pursuing medicine is fueled by the rare condition that her mother is suffering from. Her resolve to study hard and achieve her goal is all written on her face as she sees her mother suffer in pain.
Fatuma’s mother, Rahma Hassan Noor suffers from cervical dystonia. This is a mobility disorder that causes the muscles of her neck to contract involuntarily resulting in uncontrollable and sometimes painful muscle spasms caused by incorrect signals from the brain.
Speaking at their home in Shabab Estate on Friday, it was evident the pain Fatuma’s mother was undergoing was unbearable.
Her head and neck kept turning, tilting and jerking as she tried to absorb the pain on her neck and shoulders.
Read: Aisha: I underwent a heart operation but still made it
“My mother is sick and every time I see her neck tilt and jerk I’m terrified. I was worried while writing KCPE. I was scared of losing her. I wondered what I could do to make her feel better. I prayed to God to help me gather courage and tackle the KCPE papers and pass and make her proud,” said Fatuma.
Fatuma said she will study hard if she joins her dream High School Kenya High and pursue medicine afterwards.
“I have seen my mother suffer, she undergoes a lot of pain besides the emotional challenges. I want to pursue medicine and find a solution to her condition and help other women, children and the elderly who suffer from this condition,” said Fatuma.
She said her secret to success is respecting teachers, avoiding bad company in school, working hard and completing assignments in good time.
“I‘m happy I have exceeded my target of 400 marks. I thank my dear mother for her prayers,” she said, adding that despite her condition, her mother went out of her way to ensure she cooked good food and assisted her with my homework.
She added: “I thank my uncle Mohamed who paid my school fees and my teachers at Nakuru Elite for pushing me hard to achieve good marks. They are great teachers.”
Ms Noor, who could not hide her joy despite her condition, celebrated her firstborn daughter’s sterling performance.
“I feel as if my condition has healed. It is a big relief. I was worried whether Fatuma would perform well in KCPE since most of the time I was in and out of hospital,” said the mother of two girls.
Ms Noor says the treatment of cervical dystonia is expensive and the last time she was admitted to Nakuru Annex Hospital she was slapped with a medical bill of Sh260,000.
“I used to operate a small cafeteria but I was forced to close because of my condition,” she added.
