A Journey From Independence To Dependency: One Woman’s Battle With Diabetes
My reporter’s notebook and pen dropped from my hands unconsciously as Abigail Amegavie, a 58-year-old woman who has lost both limbs to diabetes, showed me the remnants of her legs.
The resident of Nungua, in the Greater Accra Region, had been an itinerant trader for decades, selling wax prints. As I thought about those legs, which had obviously travelled miles to do business, being gone forever, turning the once-independent woman into a dependent one, it was heartbreaking.
In an interview with me in Ashaiman, she recounted her heart-wrenching experience battling diabetes for over ten years and subsequently losing her limbs. Her voice trembled with emotion.
“Don’t be sad, it is well,” she said, rather trying to console me as she noticed I had become downhearted.
The businesswoman shared how committed she had been to church activities and her relationship with her maker, alongside disciplined adherence to medication, making it difficult for her to understand her current situation. “I pray often and take time off my busy schedules to spend time with God. I also do church work. Aside that, I even have my insulin injection always, and I did that this morning.”
The once-active woman said she had observed for a short period that her feet felt like she was walking on a soft surface, which made her lose her balance sometimes. She said she had also noticed dizziness but didn’t expect it to be related to diabetes.
“Until two years ago, I woke up one day from bed and spotted some blisters on my right leg, which in two days or so became a sore, and so I reported to the hospital,” she said.
The mother of one adult child said she was shocked when she was admitted to the hospital after her wound had been dressed. She said, it wasn’t until after three days, when health personnel came to dress her sore again, that she saw how bad it had gone and was terrified.
“They advised that the leg be amputated to save my life. I cried like a baby,” she said, revealing that the thought of life after losing a leg frightened her.
She said, however, because it was unreasonable for her to go home in that state, she reluctantly gave her consent for her leg to be taken off. Ms. Amegavie said just after a year, when she was coming to terms with the loss, another tragedy struck.
“I noticed sores on my left toe nails and I least expected it to be another journey to lose my left leg. In fact, for that limb, it was amputated three times because it kept going bad,” she said, choking back tears.
She expressed being still at a loss about the relentless progression of the diabetes that had confined her to a wheelchair for months. “Are those tears in your eyes?” she asked me as I reached for my handkerchief to wipe my face. Before I could reply her question, she said I should not worry and that she had left everything in the hands of her maker as she hoped for a divine healing.
The 58-year-old revealed that her current challenge was dealing with the physical pain after the amputations, which she described as “very painful. I have taken so many painkillers, and I am even tired. It is more painful than the sores that caused it. They haven’t been able to tell me what is causing that yet.”
Ms Abigail Amegavie shows the remnants of her leg
She said she prayed for a time when she would live a life free of pain, be it physical or emotional. She also looked forward to getting prosthetics to enable her to move about on her own and reduce her dependency on others.
“My daughter has tried her best to take care of me, and I am grateful. Although she hasn’t complained, I know she feels exhausted,” describing the turn of events in her life as significant.
She also revealed that she had frightingly observed her finger nails were developing sores as started on her toe nails and so she was alarmed. “I pray things do not get worse for me. I am already getting prepared to go to the hospital. Pray for me.”
Meanwhile, she advised everyone with diabetes to take their medication seriously and report any unusual observations for prompt medical attention and not assume all is well. “Maybe if I had gone to the hospital earlier, things would have been different.” She cautioned that any delay could cause a person to lose their limbs or experience complications of various forms and change their lives and those of their loved ones drastically. “I do not wish that for anyone, not even my enemy,” she said, describing the development as a mental anguish.
As Abigail Amegavie takes time to constantly reflect on her new reality, indeed the emotional toll of the development goes beyond her life. Her daughter, Salomay Amegavie, shared how it weighed heavily on her mind as she watched her once-active mother go through challenging health issues that have restricted her free movement.
She admitted that combining her role as a caregiver with other responsibilities, such as being a mother of two toddlers, had been daunting. Ms. Amegavie (Salomay) disclosed how she had to stay out of her matrimonial home for over a year to take care of her mother, revealing the impact on her marriage, her children’s education, and her food business.
“If I had other siblings, they would have helped, but I am alone, and I am struggling to balance everything,” she said, with tears welling up in her eyes. She said she felt stressed taking care of her mother when she lost her first limb and when she thought her mother had recovered, only to receive news about the second amputation, “and so I had to come back. The past two years have been a real struggle,” she said.
She currently relies on family members and neighbours to check on her mother whenever she has to attend to other businesses. Ms. Amegavie hopes her mother will get better in every aspect of her life so that she could see smiles on her face often.
She said plans were underway to get her a prosthesis to aid her movement and make her less dependent. However, experts noticed her right leg was not “straight enough” to wear prosthetics, and so they hope that her feet would get better to explore that option.
Ms. Amegavie emphasized the need for families to look out for each other and also encourage all persons to prioritize their health and well-being by promptly seeking medical attention if symptoms of diabetes arose.
She said it was also important for diabetic patients who had lost their limbs to be well cared for “as no one wishes to get sick.”
She also advocated for free psychological support for caregivers to help ease their distress “because it is not easy taking care of a sick person. Nothing prepares you for that.”
The World Health Organization defines diabetes as a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which can lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves over time.
It says the condition occurs when the body is unable to produce enough insulin or effectively use the insulin it produces, resulting in high blood sugar levels.
The organisation emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, proper management, and access to affordable treatment, including insulin, to prevent complications and reduce the risk of diabetes-related deaths.
If you are inspired by the story of the Amagavie family to take control of your health, consult a healthcare professional today and get tested for diabetes.
As stated, early detection could make a significant difference in managing the condition. Seek medical attention regularly and early.
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