Why 40-year-old Ann Wafula embodies the metaphor “every dark cloud has a silver lining”

Why 40-year-old Ann Wafula embodies the metaphor “every dark cloud has a silver lining”

Photo: Anne Wafula

Life for ANN WAFULA STRIKE became tumultuous when she contracted polio and became PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED, with their home in Western Kenya nearly being burned down by ignorant villagers. However, thanks to a strong will and support system, she lives an enviable life today, bagging Paralympic medals and other awards in the many roles she handles.

DANIEL LAGAT details why the 40-something-year-old embodies the metaphor “every dark cloud has a silver lining”

With a calm demeanor, Ann Wafula Strike fixes her gaze on the vast racing track. There is great anticipation in her eyes as she awaits the sound of the starter pistol to signal the beginning of the race. When the sound finally goes off, she holds tightly onto her wheelchair and continuously steers it forward. The wind is blowing her long hair and in her own words, it feels like she is flying.  There are loud cheers from the spectators in the stadium as she gets to the finish line.

This is a scene from a video taken when Ann, a Paralympian in her 40s, first took part in a wheelchair race in 2002 in the United Kingdom. To the polio survivor, it felt like she had been liberated. It was exciting to know what she was capable of, and that her life was not a write-off simply because of her disability. She ended up winning five medals in her first competition. To her, that victory signified something deeper. She had challenged disability stereotypes and triumphed. That track in the UK became a runway, where her sporting career took off, quite literally.

Ever since the Kenyan-born UK-based athlete has defied the odds of living with disability to make a name for herself in the international sports arena. In 2004, she became the first wheelchair racer from Sub-Saharan Africa to compete in the Paralympics. She is also an author, motivational speaker, human rights campaigner and a sporting ambassador. As she lives her life meaningfully, her purpose is to inspire people facing challenges to tap into the latent power that lies within them.

Contracting polio

Ann was born a healthy baby in Mihuu village in Webuye, Western Kenya. In the early 70s at the age of two, the fourth-born in a family of 11 fell ill, and no one knew what ailed her. Her whole body was paralyzed. This stirred a lot of speculation from her Bukusu community. “Some thought it was witchcraft, while others said I was cursed, thus I was considered a bad omen in my village. Others attempted to treat me traditionally, with no success,” says Ann. It was until she was taken to a hospital in Nairobi, that the doctors revealed to her father that she had contracted polio.

Her family faced a lot of hostility from villagers because of her condition. This hostility would escalate to a point of the villagers attempting to burn down their house. Sad and dejected, the family whom their belongings and left the village. They moved to Kahawa West barracks in Nairobi, where her father, John Paul Wafula, worked as a warrant officer. At the age of nine, she lost her mother. It was devastating for her as her mother used to do everything for her; carrying her, bathing her and other tasks.

Then there was the constant pressure from her father’s friends to shun her because of her disability, but he refused. “He loved me unconditionally,” she says. By believing in her and supporting her, he gave her an opportunity to dream and see no limit to the things she wanted to become. It is what made her soar. Her father would frequently explain to her the extent of her disability. She was made to understand that it would be hard to find a job, and even love. It was clear from the onset that her life would be difficult and different. 

After her mother’s death, her father married Florence Wafula, who brought them up. Ann refers to her as an angel for her care and support.

Going through school

Since Ann’s diagnosis, her family surrounded her with a lot of love and care. “My father, who I consider my role model, loved me unconditionally. He sacrificed so much to ensure that I got an education, and led a normal life,” she says.

At home, the environment was cordial and supportive, and at no point did she feel that she couldn’t measure up because of her disability. She joined Joyland Boarding School For The Disabled in Kisumu.

There were acceptance and a sense of belonging in this environment since all the pupils had their own challenges. “Some of us were crawling, others used calipers and crutches. We all felt the same,” she recalls. Things would, however, change when she joined a mainstream secondary school, Kereri High School in Kisii. She had a hard time trying to fit in, as there were no facilities for the disabled, and she struggled with feeling different from the rest. Ann, however, did well in high school and was admitted to Moi University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in education.

Finding love

When Ann completed her degree, she was posted to Machakos Technical Institute as a teacher. It was while working there, that she met the love of her life. “I met Norman Strike, a British volunteer teacher, in the year 2000, and it was love at first sight,” says Ann. Convinced that he was ‘the one’, she introduced him to her family. “When I went home with Norman, my father had doubts. He really wanted to be sure that Norman loved me for who I really was,” she says. Her father gave them his blessings, and they moved to the UK in 2000 and got married the same year.

For the first time in her life, she got a wheelchair, and it became easier to move around. Initially, she had relied on crutches and calipers, which were tedious. She joined the first wheelchair competition in 2002, and made entries into five races, winning medals in all of them. There has not been turning back ever since. The sportswoman has achieved tremendous success in the track and has become an inspiration to many. She represented Kenya in the 2004 Athens Paralympics. Ever since getting British citizenship in 2006, she has been representing the country.

A balancing act

Besides taking part in sports, Ann is involved in charity work to support people living with disabilities. Through Olympia Wafula Foundation, which she founded, she creates awareness about disability, distributes wheelchairs in Kenya, Nepal, Malawi and Swaziland, and offers education scholarships to children with disability.

 Her efforts and passion to champion the dignity of the disabled have not gone unrecognized. In 2014, she was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by the Queen of England.

Ann is a woman of many more firsts. As the ambassador of the British Polio Fellowship, she unveiled the first wheelchair catwalk designer dress in London. It was a move aimed at instilling a positive image to people living with the disability.

The athlete also aspires to produce a song and give proceeds to charity. “All through primary, secondary and university, I was in various singing groups,” she says. When she went to the UK in 2000, she had purposed to do a duet with rock and roll artiste and polio survivor Ian Robins Dury, but unfortunately, he passed on the same day she arrived. Ann has, however, not shelved her dream. “I call on any interested artiste to do a duet with me for charity,” she says.

It has taken good time management for her to juggle all these roles and things she is involved in. “We all have 24 hours in a day. Every day when I wake up, I see it as an opportunity to become a better person, thus I am keen not to take it for granted,” says the proud mother of one. She describes her teenage son as the most beautiful human being, not just physically but because he is also beautiful on the inside.

Ann says all her roles keep her grounded, as she sees them as a platform given by God to share her life’s story. “I am blessed to be living this kind of life. Disability doesn’t define who I am. I consider all that I am as an opportunity to support, empower and inspire someone,” she says. She adds that becoming the person she is today, took more than just a strong will, but was also made possible by her great support system. Her family; brothers, sisters, cousins, husband, son and in-laws stood by her through it all. Also, strong friendships she forged while in campus and secondary school are still alive to date and have played a big part in who she is today.

The writer is a Civil, Building construction Engineer and International business and leadership student at New charter university (USA) Reach me by emailing [email protected]