ADAPTING to a new lifestyle due to an attack that deprived him of his left leg is painful for John Akwai but being the only child living with his elderly mother, he has no option but to fend for her and himself.
“Life is totally different for me now. It is very difficult and challenging. I now feel totally incomplete,” Akwai told the Solomon Star.
Akwai hails from Tana Village in East Guadalcanal and he recounted how his life unexpectedly changed six years ago when he was beaten up in Honiara by a group of boys, an incident that led to the amputation of his left leg.
“I lived a normal life like many others in my village until an incident that happened to me in early June 2017 and life took a different turn for me.
“I was on holiday with my uncle in Honiara as usual for me and my siblings and mum as dad died when I was only seven years old.”
One evening he was asked to go to the shop to buy something for dinner. On his way back from the shop, he encountered a group of drunken boys.
‘’As I was walking by, the group of boys approached me. They attacked me and demanded me for money. I tried to explain that I did not have any extra money in my pocket to give them and so they went on to beat me up with different objects, including knife.
“I ended up in hospital with serious injuries and stayed there for a month as my left leg had to be cut off.
“Since then, life totally changed for me. Life became very hard and miserable for me. I feel unimportant and worthless. I’m shy to walk past other people and I experience bullying everywhere I go. Others call me names.”
When Akwai’s father died, the sole responsibility of looking after him and his five siblings rested on his mother’s shoulders with little support from relatives at times.
Despite the many challenges faced by Akwai’s mother in raising her children, she persevered and five of her children, except for Kwai, got married and have moved on to raise their own families.
Akwai said his mother is now old and she finds it hard to take care of him. Left with no option, Akwai has to step in to help his mother do household chores, gardening and go to the market.
“Despite my physical disability, I have to ensure our home is clean, our household utensils and clothes are clean and there is food for us on the table every day.
“Life is difficult due to the amputation of my leg and the bullying I experience but I have no choice but to fend for myself and my mother.”
By JIMMY NOLAN
Solomon Star Honiara
