Nairobi Woman Narrates Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts, Embracing Blindness After Brain Surgery

• In 2014, Agnes Wairimu embarked on a journey that marked the beginning of a profound transformation in her life
• Wairimu and her colleagues were on a road trip when she was struck by an intense headache that would soon turn her blind
• Medical examinations revealed that she had a brain growth which needed urgent surgical intervention, out of which she walked without her sight
• In the aftermath of these challenging circumstances, the young mother, found herself grappling with acceptance as adapting to her newfound blindness was a struggle

October 2014 was the turning point in the life of Agnes Wairimu as a seemingly simple headache put her on a different course.

A sales and marketing officer back then, the young mother and her colleagues were on a road trip to headed to Webuye when her head started pounding.

Started as a joke

Wairimu told TUKO.co.ke that she didn’t see the headache as a big deal for the better part of the journey.

When it got worse, she informed her friends to find the nearest chemist from which she asked for painkillers.

“Ilianza tu kimchezo, hata nikiingia chemist mimi mwenyewe ndio niliambia attendant anipatie Brufen,” (It started as a joke, its even me who walked into the chemist and asked the attendant to give me Brufen) she recalled.

That night, Wairimu says she didn’t sleep as the headache became so severe that she started getting scared her nerves would pop out.

Wake-up call

For the next few weeks, she endured different blindness spells but kept laughing about the flashing lights she was seeing because the gravity of her matter was yet to hit home.

She started realising things were getting out of hand the day she alighted from a Buruburu matatu and, while reversing, it hit her.

“That was a wakeup call that my eyesight was getting messed up and I needed to seek treatment,” she continued.

When she visited an ophthalmologist, medical tests revealed that something was growing in her brain.

Gave up hope on life

After learning about her condition, Wairimu says she hid the development in her health from close family members.

She managed to undergo a brain surgery which went well, but she had a scare when one of the patients in the bed beside her in the ward passed on.

“Not long after, I was discharged and taken back home in an ambulance to continue healing, but I started losing breath and often collapsed,” she noted.

Seeing that she had become a burden to her friends and family members, Wairimu says she figured the best idea was to die and end it all.

Journey of acceptance

As she would learn sooner than later, her suicidal thoughts invited death as she started seeing dead people, like her late grandmother and father.

“I repented and told God that I was not ready to die, after which I started accepting myself the way I was,” said Wairimu.

It was also the turning point that made her make peace with the fact that she was blind and there was little she could do about it.

After months of hiding from the public for fear of stigmatisation, she finally gathered courage and came out of the closet.

Since then, Wairimu has been on the forefront in preaching acceptance to others who are going through such life-changing moments.

Zachary Willmore's HIV journey

In another story of overcoming adversity and embracing acceptance Zachary Willmore recently went public to share his journey after he was diagnosed with HIV.

He used his TikTok page, which boasts two million followers, to educate and inspire the public on the virus and living positively through it.

Zachary disclosed that he overcame emotional turmoil and stigma to become an advocate, discussing HIV transmission, treatment, and stigmas associated with the disease.

Despite encountering negativity, he remained resilient, focused on taking meds, pursuing his studies, dating, and using his story to inspire others and increase awareness.