They say men dont cry but diabetes broke the rules

As Humphrey Kisseh Tulasi looked at his feet to check what was crawling on his left foot, to his shock, he realised they were maggots.

They were white, tiny, and many, coming out of his sore, which was barely two weeks old, and he couldn’t believe it. It was clear that his wound, caused by diabetes, had become infected, and he was terrified about what the next step would be.

The Retired Fisherman said he was immediately rushed to the Tema General Hospital by his children, and it was there he received the devastating news of his life – his leg had to be amputated. “They say men don’t cry, but I cried and cried and cried until I could cry no more,” the resident of Ada in the Greater Accra Region said.

He disclosed this in an interview with this reporter at Ashaiman. He said he had heard about how destructive diabetes could be, but he least expected it to be this aggressive within a short period. Mr. Tulasi, who until his amputation worked as a fisherman at the Fishing Harbour in Tema in the Tema Metropolis for decades, said he had worked hard to ensure the basic needs of his family were met.

 

He said life was going well until 2017, when he started feeling weak often, with burning sensations under his feet, which made him uncomfortable and concerned. “I reported the problem to the hospital, where I was given some medication, hoping to get better, but I think I never did,” he said softly.

The fisherman said that after some days, he noticed blisters forming on his left leg, after which they burst, and then two weeks later, it became maggot-infested, and so he was rushed to the hospital. “I was alive, yet maggots were coming out of my body? I had never seen or heard anything like that. I froze out of shock,” he revealed.

He said, fortunately for him, he met a good doctor who took his time to explain the state of affairs and then advised him to agree to an amputation to save his life. “He was a nice man and chose his words carefully, and so, even though he was breaking bad news to me, it didn’t look as such. But I still cried,” the retired fisherman said.

Explaining how he felt, he said words failed him anytime he tried to talk about it, but he could summarize it by saying, “It was a difficult decision to make, but I had to choose life over death, and that is what I did, and shortly after, I tried my best to move on with the support of my family,” he said.

Mr. Tulasi said he tried to begin a new life and depended on his other leg for support, but it was not long before the healthy leg also started showing signs of what the previous leg had experienced. He said he ended up this time at the Battor Hospital, where he was told to have a second amputation.

“Honestly, that was really heavy on my family. Thankfully, it didn’t feel as bad as the earlier situation, and so I was strong enough to console my family and let them know I was better off without two legs than dead. And so, they came along with all the support they could give,” he disclosed.

Mr. Tulasi said he took consolation from the fact that his children were not very young, and he had done most of the job of raising them, and so there was less financial burden on the family. He expressed appreciation to his wife and children, whom he said always comforted him during his time of pain and have since taken good care of him.

He said that although he was unemployed and spent most of his time in a wheelchair, he was not a sad person because he had a strong support system around him. “I will be happy to get a prosthetic so that I can move around sometimes, socialise, and also live like the old times.”

He used the opportunity to advise parents to take good care of their children so that when their health fails them, the children would do the same for them.

The resident of Ada also advised the public to do frequent check-ups and report any unusual feelings on time for medical attention to prevent their health from deteriorating.

He also called for more government support for persons who had lost their limbs to make life better for them.

Meanwhile, the Patron of the Ashaiman branch of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled, Dr. Eric Kwatia, has emphasised the need for the country to prioritise continuous counselling and support for individuals who have undergone amputation. “It’s about time we recognised the emotional trauma these individuals face, which can lead to depression and grief if left unaddressed,” he said.

 

He highlighted the challenges of adapting to changes in physical appearance, which could affect their self-esteem, particularly when these changes occurred suddenly.
He also noted that one of the concerns of amputees had been the chronic pain, which, according to him, was a significant issue requiring specialised support. He said in his interactions with physically disabled individuals, over the years, he had learned that adjusting to new physical realities and lifestyle changes could be daunting and therefore stressed the importance of various forms of support to facilitate a smooth transition.

He commended Mr. Tulasi for availing himself to share his story with the world and said this will help more people to be encouraged and also seek medical attention on time.

He also called on the public to avail their time, money, expertise, among other things, to support persons who are physically disabled.
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