A Mark That Changed My Entire Life | by Ms Mk | Oct, 2025
A Mark That Changed My Entire Life
Looking back, I am grateful for all the lessons I have learned and for every chance I have had to overcome discrimination, anxiety, and stigma. The years 2007 and 2008 are ones I never liked to think about. Kenya was going through a difficult time, but I didn’t know that while everyone else was caught up in post-election violence, I would be caught up in something that would change my childhood and maybe the rest of my life.
It was a Friday in December, on the hills of a small village hardly anyone knows about. My mum had sent me to fetch water, as is common in Ukambani where water can be scarce, especially in Machakos during the dry season. You have to queue for hours just to fill a 20-litre jerrycan. That morning, I said goodbye to my mum, not knowing I would return with a mark that would last a lifetime.
The village is surrounded by hills, and going down requires care. But I had used that path for 12 years, so I was confident. I even ran, thinking I would get to the river quickly, fetch water, and return home safely. In a split second, I slipped on one of the steep slopes. Like any child, I got up, ignored the pain, and continued to the river. Fetching the water wasn’t easy; my knee hurt terribly, but I managed to climb back up, even if I only brought home half a jerrycan.
When I got home, I didn’t know how to explain it to my mum. She had warned me many times not to run down the hill, but children will always be children. Competing with my friends and cousins had always been fun, and I used to win most of the time. I finally gathered the courage to tell her what happened. She listened quietly, then reached for her small anc cute basket, took out “Kaluma,” and applied it to my knee before giving me some painkillers. That was it.
Christmas and New Year came, but I couldn’t enjoy them. My leg hurt, and I couldn’t join my friends to collect firewood or attend the “keshas” and bonfires that we always had on New Year’s Eve. I stayed indoors, feeling sad, but my family stayed close and supported me.
After the holidays, my parents took me to the hospital. That’s when we got the news that changed everything. The doctors said I needed an operation to remove a growth forming on my knee. I was only 13, and I couldn’t understand how a simple fall could lead to a growth. My parents didn’t agree to the surgery right away. They told the doctors they needed time to think about it, so we went home with painkillers instead.
For two years, I lived with the pain. When I finished primary school and was ready to join high school, my parents decided we needed a lasting solution. I had dreamed of joining Lema Girls, a school I admired, but things changed. Getting proper accommodation for my condition wasn’t easy, so I had to join a school that could meet my needs.
At that point, everything about my life shifted how I saw the world, how I thought, and how I carried myself. Everything changed.
A journey to self acceptance continues……..Stay tuned….
