Covid-19 made me realise that life is short, Wako narrates experience

Busia Senator Amos Wako yesterday gave a moving account of how he nearly succumbed to Covid-19 in February.

Wako, who spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast held at Parliament Buildings recounted to the gathering how his encounter with the killer disease turned his life upside down.

 “Covid-19 made me realise that life is short. My diet and eating habits changed after I tested positive for the virus,” Wako told the audience which included President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.

The Busia Senator gave a personal account of his battle with the disease which has killed more than 3,000 Kenyans and thousands affected.

Wako, 76, tested positive for Covid-19 on February 17. He said he never expected the results to turn out positive.

“I never expected the results to positive because I went the extra mile. I exercised regularly  took vitamins such as zinc, vitamin C and D.

I had also been taking Dawa and going to the sauna, getting steam baths and breathing hot air,” he told the attentive audience.

He said that he was feeling dizzy experienced difficulty in breathing and was at times disorientated.

“I knew things were not good when during Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji’s burial, my party leader Raila Odinga sat besides me but I could not recognise him.

I asked him who he was and it was after he removed his face mask that I realised it was him, in fact, when I went home that evening, I thought it was morning” Wako narrated.

He said it was during his stay in hospital that he came to learn that there are private hospitals that demand between Sh300,000 and Sh500,000 before admitting a patient.

“This is draining their pockets and even those of their leaders who have to bear the brunt of donating to the medical fees,” Wako said.

He commended the government for the tremendous efforts they had put in place to the challenges posed by the disease. He noted that the treatment can be very expense, adding that he was able to meet the expenses because he had a  medical cover.

“I appeal to the government to redouble the efforts in ensuring that all have access to medical services and especially the poor who cannot afford,” Wako pleaded.

Wako revealed that the virus temporarily affected his kidneys. On one occasion, his family had to rush him to hospital in an ambulance.  He recalled how he thought he would die.

“It was my first ambulance ride with an oxygen mask permanently planted on my face.

During the trip where I sat with medics clad in Personal Protective gears, I thought of my friends Haji and Simon Nyachae, who had passed on in recent days, I felt I would be next,” he continued.

The senator narrated how the medics advised him not to remove the oxygen mask, even if it’s for a minute, otherwise he would lose his life.

He said he eventually made it thanks to doctors whom he said have been very helpful to the sick since the pandemic first hit the country.

He urged Kenyans to go for Covid-19 test immediately after they notice any symptoms associated with the disease, saying by doing so, they would enhance their chances for survival.

Wako said during his three weeks stay in hospital, he formed a habit of reading the scriptures and that put him through the trying moments and reflect the fact that God had given him another chance.