Here is Sally Agallo, 49, narrating her life story.
"What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace
I have lost two sons, survived a toxic relationship, and survived three types of cancers and 13 operations. I have also lived with HIV for 20 years now.
It all began in the 1990s, after I got married. My husband and I lived in Mombasa and for a while, everything was going well until I delivered a baby prematurely at seven months, who after a few weeks succumbed, and my second child only lived for two months.
When I thought I could not deal with anything more, I received another blow in 1999 when I discovered I was HIV positive. The news was broken to me very casually by the nurse. I was told, “Ukona ukimwi.” It is in the 1990s and ARVS were not readily available. The medication also was so expensive. A week’s dosage would amount to Sh60,000.
HIV victims were highly stigmatised at the time. I got severely depressed and I attempted suicide by diving from the ferry into the ocean. My marriage was toxic at the time, so I moved out.
Just like with HIV, when the doctor was breaking the news to me, he did so very casually. He even said to me, “You already have HIV, so this is just another condition.” I wondered, how could anyone be so callous when telling a patient about a terminal disease?
The oncologist advised me to undergo a full hysterectomy because my immunity was very low, with a CD4 count of 10 (a normal CD4 count is about 1,000 cells). Hysterectomy entails removing the uterus and cervix.
This came as a blow to me because I had already lost my babies and this surgery meant that I could not conceive again. I took a long while to think about it, but the surgery was finally scheduled for and done in March 2007.
While I was at the hospital, a relative came to visit and she told me that my husband was looking for a woman to have children with. I confronted him and he admitted it. “You cannot give me babies and I am still young. I don’t know where you got all these illnesses from; first HIV, now this,” he said.
I went to live with my sister, who had lost her husband. In 2010, three years after my diagnosis and 13 surgeries later, a check-up showed that cancer had spread to my colon. I was diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer.
After one year, cancer spread to the rectum. Another surgery was inevitable. Part of my anus and colon were removed. Doctors created a stoma and fixed a colostomy bag on my belly for me to pass waste.
On January 12, I won the ‘Women add value recognition’ award. This is an award given by the ‘IChange Nations’ for inspiring people and making a difference through one’s story."
-The Star