The Power of Community and Accessible Medical Care
Disclaimer: This story addresses a workplace accident resulting in arm amputation and unfamiliar cultural practices. Reader discretion is advised.
Amina (left) poses with her sister in FAME’s Surgical Ward.
Today's story is told by the patient's sister, whom we will call Amani (not her real name). While the patient expressed a willingness to narrate her experience, her physical condition required her sister's assistance in conveying the details of the accident that led her to FAME. As a result, this story is told in Amani’s words.
“My sister doesn't have consistent employment and frequently takes different temporary short-term jobs. Recently, she had landed a three-week job harvesting maize at a private farm. She was very excited, as the pay for this job was notably higher compared to her previous work. I was happy and congratulated her on her good luck.
A few days later, I got an urgent call from my sister's employer. He informed me of a serious accident that involved my sister and that they had brought her to FAME hospital. Having lived in Karatu for many years, I knew of FAME and had been here many times, so I quickly jumped onto a boda boda [motorcycle] and rushed here.
Arriving at FAME, I discovered that my sister was already undergoing surgery. Her employer told me he had consented to the surgery as she had lost a lot of blood and the doctors worried that she would bleed to death. ‘Lost a lot of blood, how?’ I asked, as I was very confused. That's when her employer told me my sister had suffered a terrible accident at work and lost her left arm. I was too shocked to react.
Later, her colleagues told me exactly what happened. Since the farm was always very dusty and the maize husks flew everywhere, my sister would always wear a headscarf to protect her hair.
On this fateful day, as she was working close to the harvesting machine, the machine caught a part of her headscarf. She put her arms up to shield her face and one of the blades on the machine severed it. Her colleagues quickly switched off the machine and rushed to help her, carefully wrapping her severed arm into a kanga [printed cloth popular in Swahili culture] and bringing her straight to FAME.
When my sister woke up from surgery, she confirmed their story as she remembered the entire traumatic event until her admission to FAME. She recounted how she had experienced significant bleeding, so much so she thought she would die. She is thankful to FAME’s medical team for saving her life. The accident had also resulted in non-life-threatening injuries, including cuts to her abdomen, thighs and head. Stitches were applied to these wounds and she is recovering well.
Due to our cultural beliefs, my family requested her amputated arm from the medical team so we could arrange a proper burial. To us, it wasn't just a body part but an extension of her, so we did not allow the hospital to dispose of it.
“My sister’s mental state is surprisingly good and I credit the unwavering encouragement and support the FAME doctors and nurses provide. They have consistently boosted her spirits when she has been sad and reassured her that her life isn’t over because of her injury. My family and I are very grateful to FAME; they have gone beyond saving her life to supporting her and us in the recovery process. She is now talking about looking forward to going home and caring for her five children, which is good because right after surgery, she didn’t believe she could care for her children anymore.”
Her husband has been very supportive. He visits every day and always checks in to see if she needs anything. She always smiles when he comes, which is good to see. I am sure that with the combined strength of our family and the relentless support from FAME, my sister will confidently embrace the next chapter of her life. At only 33 years old, she has a long life ahead of her.”
*The patient’s name has been changed to protect her privacy and permission was secured to share their story. The quotes from this interview have been translated from Swahili to English.