What if.....

In Memory Of Violet Olang

You woke up one day you find yourself in a hospital bed and you have just woken up from a coma to find a doctor  sewing your right eye lid shut with a needle and a thread "like he was darning a sock".....well this real life situation happened to a former editor in chief of Elle the French Magazine his name Dominique Bauby(23rd April 1952-9th March 1997) he incurred a massive stroke that affected his brain stem.Blinking his eye was his only means of communication.He authored the book  called "The diving Bell and the butterfly" by blinking the letters one at a time,that's right his transcriber recited the alphabet until Bauby blinked at the appropriate letter building words one letter at a time.The late Bauby's story reminds me of Violet Olang,i used to be with her in the same high school but she was a year ahead of me.She was always bubbly and full of life,i really admired her dimples!

 I was reading her story on the Daily Nation posted on 12.Oct 2011here.As i was reading her story i thought of how we take simple pleasures and modest requests for granted like waking up everyday and walking to the bathroom to take a shower.You see Violet was involved in an accident and she lost her legs,but she hoped and prayed that she would be able to walk again.Sadly  that was not to happen.

Both stories got me thinking about the simple pleasures in life that we take for granted,can u imagine being paralyzed your whole body and the only means to communicate is through the movement of your eye!and Not being able to walk again because you had an accident which was caused by a taxi driver who was over-speeding and at the same time talking on the phone....leaving you traumatized for the rest of your life?!Am happy that this experience prompted her to author a book called "Strength in my weakness " in which she writes about her experience while in hospital and she also creates Road Safety Awareness.Am more than Looking forward to reading her book and  also the diving bell and the butterfly by Bauby.They are both a blessing to the world because despite them ailing in the hospital they took time out to reach out to us.

Have a Blessed weekend and be greatful for all that you have!

Vonette!