Life as an amputee not easy
…As Paul uses bucket to relieve himself
THE life of Paul Njovu, a teacher who lost his leg in a hit and run accident in Lusaka’s Emmasdale area, has changed drastically as he now has to use a bucket to relieve himself because the only available toilet at his home in Garden compound is a pit latrine.
Most pit latrines by nature require that one squats in order to be able to relieve oneself and that is after the hustle of squeezing through a narrow entry, often in full view of neighbours. Life in most shanty compounds of Zambia is not easy even in normal situations and it is not surprising that Paul, who recently lost his leg, is struggling to adapt.
For Paul, his life is now a daily dehumanizing experience because someone, any of his relatives or mother, give him the bucket and then dispose off the contents when he is done.
As he takes this writer through a typical day in his now changed life, Paul surreptitiously wipes away tears. He is 27 years, and he does not want anyone to know, least of all his mother, to know when he wants to relieve himself.
But he has no choice for now, but to rely on his mother and other family members to help him with the bucket. The bucket, has become a simple of his new life and it is a constant reminder that life has changed and he has to learn to live with disability, the way many other people with disabilities do.
And 27 year old Mr Njovu is no longer the jovial young man he was known to be because his salary has been cut in half amid numerous financial challenges that have arisen.
A morning visit to the modest 2-room house in Garden, found the Youngman seated in the family living room with his newly acquired prosthetic leg draped on the armrest. Occasionally Paul looks at it and says, he is trying hard to master its usage because that is his only way out now. But complains that the process is taking long because it is too heavy.
He told Daily Nation yesterday that his biggest fear is using a bucket for the rest of his life whenever he had to answer the call of nature. He shudders at imagining that he might have to crawl to the pit latrine.
Despite managing to secure an artificial leg, Mr Njovu is still unable to use a pit latrine, the only available place for relief at their rented home in Garden. He is however, hopeful that he would one day do away with the bucket.
For now, he has no choice but to use the bucket and his ever patient family clean up after him.
Every day is a dark one for the learned teacher as he now spends most of his time in the sitting room and despite this, he is still the bread winner of the family.
“It’s tough my brother, I spend most of my time in here if not exercising. The challenge now is that I have to use a bucket whenever I have to use the toilet. What we have here is a pit latrine, so with my one leg I can’t use that. Even with the artificial leg, I still cant. My biggest fear is for how long will I use the bucket?” he lamented.
Mr Njovu disclosed that his salary had now been cut in half because of continually missing work since the accident which happened on February 4 this year.
He explained that it was part of the conditions of employment and thanked his employers for still making it possible for him to go back when ready.
Mr Njovu however reiterated that as the bread winner of the family, it was now a hustle to take care of his mother, aunt, sister, young brother and his little nephews.
“Even the full salary was not enough to sustain our lives, so it is hard to make the half I am getting go round?”
Paul is now looking forward to getting back to work next month at all cost so that his salary can at least be restored to normal.
The thought of regaining part of his life as a teacher, is what
He spent a few agonizing weeks in hospital during which time to save his leg but failed and had to amputate as the foot was basi
He explains how even dressing was a challenge initially and the do was wear a chitenge wrapper provided by his mother. Not an ea for a young man. The struggle to accept what had happened too would often cry and refuse to eat.
He went to bed knowing he had lost a leg and woke up hoping it dream. Unfortunately, it was reality and hospital staff and fami him deal with the loss.
He says it takes courage to accept that one has lost a vital body a has accepted but still has moments when he is really emotionally
He cried for his leg. Cried for his lost dreams. He can not play f