How drunk driver cr√shed my leg when I was four — Amputee dentist

How drunk driver cr√shed my leg when I was four — Amputee dentist

How drunk driver crushed my leg when I was four — Amputee dentist

Dentist and amputee life coach Akintola Sabaa speaks with AJIBADE OMAPE about the life-altering accident that led to the loss of her leg at a young age

Can you share a bit of your early life and background with us?

child.

The bones eventually grew back, but the blood vessels and lymphatic system were damaged. When I walk a short distance, my leg swells because of the blood flow. I have to elevate the leg to allow the blood to flow back and the swelling to reduce.

Eventually, the doctors advised my parents that the leg could get infected, or I could develop bone cancer. They recommended amputating the leg to improve my quality of life, allowing me to move around well and not be confined to one position for too long. So, the leg was amputated.

I had some nightmares for a while but I was fine overall. After the amputation, I used crutches for a while and attended school with them. Before returning to school, I was homeschooled by my mum, who used to be a teacher but is now a trader. Later, I started using a prosthesis around 2004, two years after the accident.

Before fully transitioning to a prosthesis, I had to undergo multiple surgeries because, as I grew, my bones would protrude through the skin at the amputation site. These revision surgeries continued until 2009. Sometimes, I had to write my exams at home or miss school for extended periods while recovering from surgery. After 2009, I no longer needed revision surgeries but had to keep changing my prosthesis as I grew taller. This was very expensive.

At times, we adjusted my shoe to match the height of the prosthesis by adding material to the sole, which was a cheaper alternative to frequently changing the prosthesis. Sometimes, the prosthesis was longer, so we raised the shoe on my other leg. As I grew, I adapted to the height of the prosthesis.

Adjusting my shoe and prosthesis was a constant task. Sometimes my actual foot would be larger than the prosthetic foot, or vice versa, requiring frequent visits to the shoemaker. This was how we managed to keep going despite the challenges.

Would you say your experience as an amputee influenced your decision to become a life coach?

Of course, I have had many experiences as an amputee. I have experienced life as a child, a teenager, a schoolgirl, and a university student.

I know that many new amputees are emerging, and they don’t know what to do, what to expect, or how life will turn out for them. It can be quite lonely, not knowing what to expect and not having anyone around who is going through the same thing. So, I decided to be the change I wanted to see. That is why I decided to start life coaching for amputees.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your recovery and adjustment to life as an amputee?

One of the major challenges is pain. You know, there are two bones in the leg: the tibia and the fibula. The fibula is smaller than the tibia. If it is the tibia that is cut, it’s more painful than the fibula.

These bones sometimes grow out of the skin. Once they do, I can’t use the prosthesis because the stump will touch the bottom of the prosthesis. So, when the bone is outside, I can’t walk until it is cut and heals back. That’s one of the major challenges, the pain. Another challenge is the recovery time. It takes a while for me to recover.

As a result, I miss a lot of time at school, and sometimes I write my exams at home. From a very young age, I have known I could not depend on anybody for exams, so I read and pass the exams myself — there’s no copying because I knew I would write the exams alone. Another issue is not being able to move around.

make things better for you until you decide to change the situation and start working towards that. People will not treat you better than you treat yourself. You have to be kind to yourself. You have to respect yourself. That is my advice. Take care of yourself, and others will love you.

Were there any support systems that have been instrumental in your journey?

I had no support group except my parents. I had nobody. Growing up, I could only rely on my parents. They would encourage me, advise me, and give me room to make mistakes, although I’m stubborn and didn’t see why they tried to overprotect me. However, I know they meant well. So, my parents, along with my teachers, were empathetic, but they didn’t fully understand what was going on.

While in my boarding house, my roommates and hostel mates were also empathetic. Sometimes they helped me fetch water, but there was no structured group of people, as you described to help me when I was growing up. I had to figure a lot of things out by myself, and I feel that made me stronger and more experienced in helping other people who have been through the same thing.

How did you cope with bullying during your school years?

That was when I was in primary one and primary two. I had someone in my class who bullied me because I couldn’t move around very well. I was using crutches, so I stayed in class from morning to closing time. Whenever the class became noisy and the teacher entered to punish students, I would be asked to sit down, which led to me being bullied for not being punished. This went on for a while until I changed schools, which stopped the bullying. I had to change schools to put an end to the bullying.

What are your aspirations, both professionally and personally, as you continue to inspire and support others?

In the next five years give or take, I aim to have my dental clinic and become an aesthetic dentist. Achieving this will make me happy.