How partial blindness has left Rosemary Odinga unable to choose her clothes
Rosemary Odinga, the eldest child of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has opened up on her illness that has left her partially blinds.
In a candid interview with Citizen TV, Rosemary revealed how being unable to choose her own clothes is among the things that have been disrupted in her life.
Rosemary said her troubles started last year at a workshop for women political aspirants in Naivasha where she was with her two daughters.
“My head was just aching. I just had headaches, headaches,” said Rosemary.
COLLAPSED IN ROOM
After collapsing in her room, she was airlifted to Nairobi where the doctors upon seeing her said she was lucky for had she been transported in an ambulance she may not have made it.
“To me it was something new. I had a tumour but I also had two aneurysms. They were able to clip the two aneurysms here in Kenya but they were unable to get to the tumour,” she said.
“Eventually, some friends of mine said there was a place I could get it treated. So we went to China where they were able to get to tumour to cut it off. We were lucky it was benign.”
“I see mostly from my right eye, but it is half the vision. But it is foggy. It is like looking through water in a glass. It is hazy. I see things that are very close to me,” she said.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORT
Rosemary recounted how her independence was affected by the loss of eyesight, but credited her family and friends for supporting her.
“It was very challenging. I am used to living a certain lifestyle where I am very independent. Suddenly, I can’t even choose my own clothes or cook the food I want to eat. I can’t drive to the store,” she said.
The mother of two recounted how her younger daughter offered a helping hand whenever she was moving around the house.
“They would cry especially when I was away on treatment. The younger one, when I eventually came back, she could not remember me. She was too young when I fell ill. But the older one was able to understand and she was counseled,” she explained.
The Odinga family is exploring treatment options available to help Rosemary regain her eyesight.
She had started pursuing a political career before being taken ill and during the interview she said if she is given a leadership opportunity she will not shy away.