Beyond disability: How Baringo mum bounced back after losing both arms
Gladys Chepyegon, 35, at her greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town, Baringo Central, on December 3, 2023. The mother of three was involved in a fire accident in January 2013 that led to her arms being amputated to save her life.
What you need to know:
- The world marked International Day for Persons with Disabilities on Sunday, this year’s theme being ‘United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for, with and by persons with disabilities'.
- Gladys Chepyegon, a 35-year-old mother of three, runs a greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town; hers has become a story of triumph, a case worth celebrating despite the hurdles she still faces.
A few weeks after ushering in the New Year in 2013, Gladys Chepyegon, now 35, from Sogon in Baringo South was preparing an afternoon meal as she nursed her two-week-old newborn.
Something followed that completely changed her life, leaving her hospitalised for nearly three years. When she finally got out of hospital, she was unable to do anything by herself. Life had nearly lost meaning. And to her in-laws, she had become a burden worth dispensing with.
A decade later, the mother of three runs a greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town. Hers is a story of triumph, a case worth celebrating despite the hurdles she still faces. The world marked International Day for Persons with Disabilities on Sunday, this year’s theme being ‘United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for, with and by persons with disabilities'.
“Many people wonder how I operate the business without hands, but for the four months since I started the venture, I can provide for my children comfortably. I sell fruits and request my clients to serve themselves. I get several coins, which I put in a sling bag around my neck so that when someone wants some change or balance, I just instruct them to take,” she explains.
Gladys Chepyegon, 35, serves a customer at her greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town, Baringo Central, on December 3, 2023.
“I also have some neighbours in the premises who come in handy when I am serving my clients. Some get startled when they see me selling without hands, but many people are used to my condition.”
At some point, she had to leave her matrimonial home for her parents’ in Kipsaraman, Baringo North, as she was perceived as a burden.
“My in-laws even tried to convince my husband to remarry because I was now a burden and there was a need to look for a more productive person than an amputee. It was hard for them to accept my new being,” she says.
“I used to provide for my children before the incident and the situation almost led me to sink into depression because I was wondering how my children would survive henceforth.”
So, how did she find herself in her current state? She vividly recalls the incident that left her with permanent scars. One of her children, who was playing in the house, accidentally knocked off boiling broth, forcing her to swing into action to save him and his younger sibling.
She ended up losing both arms. Ms Chepyegon, who is also epileptic, tells Nation.Africa that when she jumped to save her second-born son, who was three years old at the time, she fell on the fireplace and could not get up. She passed out.
“The other family members had gone to look for livestock feed in the neighbourhood and I was alone with my two-week-old newborn and three-year-old son. When I was still resting on the bed, the boy accidentally knocked down some broth at the fireplace and ran outside for safety. Because of the smoke and the ashes that had filled the house, I didn’t see him running outside.
“I thought he fell on the fireplace and I jumped out of bed to save him, but, unfortunately, suffering from epilepsy, I fell on the fireplace and passed out owing to the steam and the burning ashes,” she says.
The boy was too young to raise the alarm. She was found by some neighbours 30 minutes later when she had sustained burns right from her neck, breasts, hands and stomach.
“By the time the neighbours arrived, I was unconscious. They carried out some first aid before taking me to the Baringo County Referral Hospital in Kabarnet, dozens of kilometres away. I left my two-week-old newborn behind.”
Due to her condition, she was referred to Nakuru Provincial General Hospital for specialised treatment. “I was at the facility for two weeks, but, sadly, the medics had gone on strike and service delivery was poor. They dressed the burns and left without close monitoring.”
Gladys Chepyegon, 35, is assisted by a customer to put on a hoodie at her greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town, Baringo Central, on December 3, 2023.
Two weeks later, the wounds worsened and both arms started rotting. Her relatives transferred her to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret.
“Medics at MTRH said the wounds had developed some severe infection and to save my life, there was no other way than to amputate my two hands. My family members were adamant to append their signatures to allow me to go to the theatre, but the pain I was going through was so much and I convinced them to just agree to the advice,” Ms Chepyegon says.
“It wasn’t easy for me to accept that I would have to live without my two hands. I underwent some counselling from the health workers, but it took time for me to accept the reality. To worsen the situation, I had left my baby, who was two weeks old, under the care of my relatives.”
She stayed at the facility for two-and-a-half years as the medics conducted skin grafting, including on her breasts and stomach, which were severely burnt.
“The medical bills had accumulated to more than Sh1 million. The National Health Insurance Fund catered for Sh700,000 while the balance was raised by neighbours, relatives and well-wishers. For the two-and-a-half years, my baby was nursed by relatives as I recuperated in hospital. It wasn’t that easy because all that while she didn’t breastfeed.”
When she was discharged, she had to rely on people for virtually everything, ranging from feeding, dressing up and bathing because both hands had been amputated.
“It was not easy because no one would do everything for you. At the time, my oldest child was eight years old. She had to learn how to clean me and change my clothes. At such a tender age, the little girl was exposed to huge responsibilities because she could literally do everything for me.”
Ms Chepyegon was later supported by well-wishers, including a religious leader who enrolled two of her children in a boarding school. She was also registered nine years ago as a person living with disability (PWD) and is a beneficiary of the monthly Sh2,000 Inua Jamii stipend from the government.
After some years of staying in the village, she made an ultimate decision to rise above her disability and get a livelihood. She approached some of her friends and relatives to support her to start a business so that she could stop relying on well-wishers and relatives for everything.
“At first, they were sceptical about what business a person with no hands like me could do, but I convinced them to just support me and they would see what I could do.”
Gladys Chepyegon, 35, looks on as a customer picks fruits at her greengrocer’s in Kabarnet town, Baringo Central, on December 3, 2023.
She encourages PWDs to rise above their condition and fend for themselves rather than beg. “If I can work without both of my hands, then anyone else with a disability can. We should not have the notion that being physically challenged means solely relying on people. Let’s try to work and eat from our own sweat. The government should also support us as well.”
Ms Chepyegon has appealed to well-wishers to help her acquire prosthetic limbs to ease her work and reduce over-reliance on others.
“Prosthetic limbs would help me a lot because I would not have to rely on people like bathing, clothing and even feeding. I usually have a lot of challenges. For instance, when I fall, I have to be helped to get up.”
