Joseck Sande's story

I developed in 1997 I was years old. It started as a severe headache and fever. I complained it to my mother who gave me painkillers and let me rest on the bed. The symptoms worsened within minutes and I started vomiting, my neck became stiff, my back stiff, and couldn't move nor turn. I was rushed to Luanda Equator Hospital in Western Kenya they did some first aid and referred us to Kakamega Highway Hospital. I lost consciousness on the way and the only thing can recall is my aunt carrying me on her back while running. The whole experience in Kakamega Highway Hospital under the late Dr Odongo was narrated to me after healing because was in a coma for a few weeks. I stayed in hospital under comprehensive care for almost months. The doctors did a great job and saved my life. The recovery process was so tough.


I had a stiff neck, having stayed in hospital for more than five months with my neck facing upwards due to stiffness. I couldn’t move or turn my head or speak, I was in a lot of pain and had a stiff back. There's absolutely nothing that I could do on my own. Eating was also a problem and I was fed only warm cow’s milk for all the time that I was in hospital. My condition improved and I was discharged from hospital.

After healing, I developed anal mucosa prolapse (prolapse of the anus), internal hemorrhoids, nose bleeding, back pains, speech problems and allergic reactions to cold, smoke and dust. I have lived with these side effects ever since I got out of hospital. There have been issues with my immunity too, where am easily attacked by malaria or pneumonia.

I have been in and out of hospital several times, I have used herbal medication to prevent the anal prolapse and the back pains but all was in vain. I have lived with the condition for 27 years. Too many drugs affected my stomach in 2009 and I developed enteritis due to excessive production of acid in my stomach. I have also survived with the same condition since then, controlling it with anti-acid syrup and tablets.

These side effects, more so the anal prolapse, has made me depressed over years. You can imagine taking all types of drugs but no change, it's really depressing and some sort of mental torture over years. I had never discovered that anal prolapse is a problem, as a child, I believed that it's normal with all human beings. I discovered that it's an abnormality after sharing with my brother, Nelson Okumu. Treatment began, I spent my childhood in the village of Eshihuli, Emanyinya sublocation, Tongoi location, Emuhaya Sub-county, Vihiga County in Western Kenya where people used to believe in herbal medicine to cure such conditions like prolapse and back pains. I have been using a combination of both herbal and hospital prescribed drugs but there was no change over the years.

I have lived with all the mentioned side effects throughout my school life. I am now a teacher in Malindi town in Kenya. I got my bachelor's degree in 2016 from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. I have been living a normal life, just the same as other human beings, doing normal duties including farm activities. I had to accept my state.

I have undergone so much criticism from school mates especially in high school because of my body posture, using too many drugs including herbal ones. I was resilient and passed through all this. My high school life became a bit tough in form two (2009) when I was hospitalised in Russia Hospital in Kisumu because of acute back pains and constipation. I was treated and the condition improved. In 2018 I developed malaria, pneumonia and anemia at the same time and I was hospitalised for almost three weeks. I couldn't walk properly because of the back pains. A diagnosis of the prolapse was made and I was put under drugs. My condition improved but as usual, the prolapse never disappeared.

Towards the end of April 2024, I developed severe diarrhoea with fresh blood. My friend, Gabriel Osindi rushed me to Tawfiq Hospital in Malindi, Kenya where I was diagnosed with enteritis and the abdominal scans showed irregular bowel movements with a growth in my lower rectum. The diarrhoea was controlled, but the bleeding couldn't stop. I was sent for a colonoscopy to determine the nature of the growth and the source of the bleeding. I did the colonoscopy at Afya International Hospital in Malindi under Dr Abubakar. The report showed that there was a non-cancerous bleeding growth in my lower rectum caused by grade three internal bleeding hemorrhoids. The hemorrhoids had turned into a growth for I had lived with them for several years, more than 25 years. I was advised to undergo a hemorrhoidectomy surgery to remove the growth and anoplasty surgery to repair the anal mucosa prolapse.

I was scheduled for the surgery at Malindi District Hospital under Dr Morris Buni. I underwent a successful surgery on 13 August 2024 and I'm recuperating well at home. I would like to thank my wife, my daughter, my mother, my dad, my sisters, and my brother together with all friends and relatives who have supported me in this journey.

Never give up. Once you spot any symptoms of meningitis, get medical help fast.
I am available to encourage all survivors and patients of meningitis.

Thank you 🙏.