Mosop Member of Parliament Abraham Kirwa nearly lost his life when he suffered a debilitating stroke during a live radio interview on his 54th birthday.
The unfortunate incident nearly robbed the Mosop Constituency of their vibrant leader, but months later, the politician has shared his recovery journey to raise awareness of stroke prevention.
Speaking to Fox News, Kirwa narrated that he was in the middle of a radio briefing when suddenly, his vision blurred, one side of his body went numb, and then he struggled to speak. Within moments, he collapsed, prompting an emergency rush to the hospital.
“When I drank the water, I realised I was not even seeing anymore; I collapsed and was rushed to the hospital,” Kirwa told Fox News.
The MP spent 18 days in a hospital in Kenya before being transferred to another hospital in Dubai, where doctors discovered that he had suffered from a second stroke.
His family, fearing for his life, made arrangements for him to be transferred to North Texas, where his neurologist enrolled him in the stroke rehab programme. It is there that he met physical therapist experts who have taken him through an intense programme.
At the start of his recovery, Kirwa was barely able to stand, requiring five therapy sessions per week to regain mobility. His treatment included physical, speech, and occupational therapy, with videos documenting his week-by-week progress.
Determined to regain his strength, speech, and stamina, Kirwa forged through to recovery, and after months of therapy, he is now able to walk, even taking his two Great Pyrenees dogs for strolls around his neighbourhood in Texas.
“They were working on the strength of my legs, my arms, my speech,” he said, describing the intense rehabilitation process.
His speech has also greatly improved, although not as perfectly as it was before the stroke. The MP is determined to fully recover and get back to Kenya to continue serving his constituency.
The near-demise experience has encouraged the MP to use his condition to advocate for men’s health, urging others to listen to their bodies and seek medical attention at the first sign of trouble.
“Your health comes first, and number two is others,” the MP advised.
