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30 What Next? Elisha Gumbo There once was a boy of fifteen. Born in March 1998 at Kadoma General Hospital, he lived with his parents and young brother. Growing up he was able bodied. He started to go to school in 2003 and from the zero grade he progressed to the 7th grade. Unfortunately, on 14th February 2011, when he was in Grade 7 something terrible happened to this boy. He was walking back from school as he had done every day of his school life, but this time as he walked along the path, which was mainly used by pedestrians, he did not know that there was an electric cable on the ground. As he walked along the path he stepped on it and was electrocuted. Later the boy heard that he had been helped by people who were passing by and who found him collapsed on the ground. He woke up to find himself in hospital, critically ill. When he looked at himself he thought it was a dream or rather a nightmare, but it was reality. He was put on medication that made him feel drowsy and resulted in him sleeping for three days. When he woke up he saw his family crying, saying ‘Why us, oh Lord, why us?’ and he started to cry as well. His hands and arms had been amputated by doctors in the hospital and, when his wounds were cleaned, he would cry for hours in pain. He stayed in the hospital for nearly five months and then he was discharged, but he was still not yet physically strong. Everything in his life seemed upside down because he could not do many of the things that he used to do on his own. He could not wash himself, feed himself, put on clothes by himself, write for himself or even take himself to the toilet. His mother cried each and every day and she lost hope for her son. His face and other parts of his body were covered with scars that itched. Looking at himself in the mirror was like a nightmare and he would cry and cry until his head started to ache. July came and went and he was still not physically strong and he avoided people most of the time. August and September passed and October came, the month of his final primary exams. He said to himself ‘I will write the exams’, but the question arose as to how he would be able to write. The 31 school’s head assured him that some of the teachers would write down the answers as he gave them. The problem remained that he had missed so much schooling that he might not know the answers. However, he was encouraged by his family, who told him that with God everything is possible. With their support he sat the examinations. October and November passed and it was December when the results came out. The boy went to collect them and found himself amongst those who had passed. He was very happy that day. Afterwards he asked himself, ‘What next?’ He started to cry when he wondered what he would do. While he was crying a person from King George VI School for the Disabled called and said he should come to the school because of the facilities there that would help him to learn to do things on his own. He was really relieved. The boy is still finding everything difficult in life but he knows that one day he will make it, if he keeps on fighting hard. Nothing will dampen his spirit. ...

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