The nearly slurred speech is punctuated with a stammer; it makes listening to him a test of patience. And yet one year ago, Timothy Kiyingi was never like this. A bubbly university student, he spoke fast and freely. All this changed on July 11, 2010, when together with two friends, he went to Kyadondo Rugby Club to watch the football World Cup finals. He remembers that he sat at the back row and was enjoying the match. Beyond that, he has no idea what exactly happened. When I woke up I thought I was at home but the place did not look like home. All I could see were lights, the ceiling and doctors moving all over, he tells me.
In coma
What Kiyingi did not know was that he had been in coma for a fortnight. He does not know how much relief and joy his family had the morning when he finally opened his eyes and began studying his environmentthe Mulago Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
Besides the lights, ceiling and movements, Kiyingi also realised that his legs were numb, they could not move. He also had tubes strapped all over his head and occasionally picked out laments from those visiting, pitying him. But what Kiyingi wanted was not pityhe just needed someone to tell him what was going on. There was one problem though, Kiyingi could not talk and therefore could not get answers. When I wanted attention, I shook a little and a doctor or relative came, he says. They could ask questions and all I did was nod. Many times, their questions never tallied with what I wanted. I got angrybut since I could not speak, I learnt to live with it.
Live with it. That is what Kiyingi did for the following three months in Mulagoshifting from the intensive care unit to the general ward and later the private ward. He might be alive today but beyond the medical intervention, Kiyingis mother, Ms Catherine Mayanja, is convinced her sons survival was a miraculous act, close to one of those Bible resurrection stories.
When news came through of the bomb blasts, she says, they were informed Kiyingi had been killed.
Quickly, as some family members dashed to look for the corpse, others began the burial preparations. In fact, a tent was erected in the compound to seat mourners as they awaited his remains. Nobody knew that Timothy would end up alive, says Ms Mayanja, the head teacher of Nabagereka Primary School in Kampala. Had you seen him after he was discharged, you would thank God. Even the consultant surgeon conferred with us that his chances of recovery were very low.
In coma
What Kiyingi did not know was that he had been in coma for a fortnight. He does not know how much relief and joy his family had the morning when he finally opened his eyes and began studying his environmentthe Mulago Hospital Intensive Care Unit.
Besides the lights, ceiling and movements, Kiyingi also realised that his legs were numb, they could not move. He also had tubes strapped all over his head and occasionally picked out laments from those visiting, pitying him. But what Kiyingi wanted was not pityhe just needed someone to tell him what was going on. There was one problem though, Kiyingi could not talk and therefore could not get answers. When I wanted attention, I shook a little and a doctor or relative came, he says. They could ask questions and all I did was nod. Many times, their questions never tallied with what I wanted. I got angrybut since I could not speak, I learnt to live with it.
Live with it. That is what Kiyingi did for the following three months in Mulagoshifting from the intensive care unit to the general ward and later the private ward. He might be alive today but beyond the medical intervention, Kiyingis mother, Ms Catherine Mayanja, is convinced her sons survival was a miraculous act, close to one of those Bible resurrection stories.
When news came through of the bomb blasts, she says, they were informed Kiyingi had been killed.
Quickly, as some family members dashed to look for the corpse, others began the burial preparations. In fact, a tent was erected in the compound to seat mourners as they awaited his remains. Nobody knew that Timothy would end up alive, says Ms Mayanja, the head teacher of Nabagereka Primary School in Kampala. Had you seen him after he was discharged, you would thank God. Even the consultant surgeon conferred with us that his chances of recovery were very low.