Life after my car accident

Betty Nyachwo is happy to be alive despite the challenges she still faces such as pain in her joints. She believes that soon she will be back on her feet Courtsey photo.

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TURNING POINT. Events that happen in our lives tend to have an impact, this can be negative or positive. For Betty Nyachwo, a road accident that claimed four of her friends put an end to her once active life. She shares her experience

On July 4, 2015, as Betty Nyachwo and a group of friends were travelling to Mbarara to grace the Miss Tourism Ankole 2015/16 beauty search event at Lake View Resort Hotel, they got involved in a bad car accident in Mpigi on Kampala-Mbarara highway. Nyachwo escaped with serious injuries that required her to stay in hospital for weeks.
Some of her friends, however, were not that lucky as the accident claimed the lives of Miss Tourism (Northern Uganda, 2014/15), Norah Atim, Barbara Nakiwolo, a 2014 Miss Tourism finalist and NTV journalist, Resty Namawejje. In total, Nyachwo says they were seven occupants in the car. The other three, including the driver, also escaped with injuries. She attributes the cause of accident to over speeding.

Picking up the pieces
Today, the 25- year-old says her life has completely changed. “For starters, since my injuries were very serious, I could not work. In the process, I lost my job,” she says. She was working at Techno Brain Uganda as a business process outsourcing executive. In addition, her health was also compromised.

“My memory was affected as I tend to remember things for a short time. I cannot walk properly as I stagger a little bit. On top of that, sometimes my legs just heat up as if they are on fire,” she says. “Also, from time to time, I tend to feel as if there is a heavy load on my chest.” Prescriptions help her cope with the pain and discomfort.

Patching life together
Since she is out of a job, the former first runner-up Miss Tourism Teso says she spends most of her time at home. “My routine often is sleep, eat, walk and shower. I cannot do much because the pain limits me,’ she says. If it were up to Nyachwo, she would often be on the move job hunting. This is however not possible as her legs limit her.

“It is why I take the trouble to walk around home every day so that my legs can regain their strength,” she says. Nyachwo who resides with her family members is grateful to them for all the care and support they continuously give her.
“They have been with me every step of my healing process and I appreciate that,” she says.

Besides family, praying has also been a very instrumental aspect in Nyachwo’s life ever since the incident. In fact, this is depicted in many of the posts she puts on her Facebook wall from time to time.

Lost friendships
Till now, the death of the others still puzzles her. At times even haunts her. Why would she survive and the other three die? But that is a response she says only God can answer.

Otherwise, Nyachwo says she misses the girls very much, especially Atim and Nakiwolo whom she shared a close bond as they had all participated in the Miss Tourism 2014 finals. “They were my friends. I miss them very much. Actually, I even think that I was the last person to learn of their deaths because right after the accident, I was whisked away to Mulago Hospital and was only told days later,” she says. “I will continue cherishing the memories we shared together.” For now, Nyachwo hopes for a quicker recovery so that she can fully get back on feet again.

Coping

Talk about it. Talk to someone about the accident. It may be a friend, family member or someone you feel comfortable with. Just talking about your experiences, getting information about anxiety and meeting any practical needs is often all that is required to help you manage your anxiety

Look after yourself. When people feel anxious they often neglect themselves. Eat balanced meals and try to get plenty of sleep. Do some exercise, like going for a walk. Avoid increasing the amount of alcohol you drink and avoid drugs that have not been prescribed by your doctor.

Ask for support. It can be a relief to talk about what happened. You may need to ask your friends and family for the time to do this - at first they will probably not know what to say.

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