By Clara Mlanlo
Joy heralded his pregnancy some eleven years ago – to be the first child of his father and fourth but only son of his mother. But his birth cast a dark shadow on the family to forever live with the stigma, pain, neglect and accompanying financial burden. Now, the wish of a father is, for God to call his son into eternity ahead of him – simply, over uncertainties about the welfare of the child, if he predeceases him. On the International Day of Persons Living With Disabilities – GBCNEWS Clara Mlano, shares the story of the Kodzi’s – a disabled father acting as a caregiver to his son – another disabled living with Cerebral Palsy.
Growing up, Dominic Kodzi was told that he came from a bow-legged family – to clear his doubts that he was not living with that condition alone. Through school at the Ho Bankoe Junior High and Awudome Senior High Schools, Dominic’s deformity worsened depriving him of a lively and hearty childhood as would any child. Soon to crawl into his shell as result of unsavory comments and feeling unwelcome from his mates. Finally dropping out of Senior High in Form 2.
Out of sight, Out of mind the saying goes – Dominic relocated from the Volta region away from his familiar surroundings to the capital – Accra in 1996 to start a new life unknown to him that the same fate awaited him. Shunned by all, Dominic engaged in menial jobs to survive and lived as a squatter at any available space.
But the gift of music was soon to open doors for him, not to an appreciable level as people were interested more in the gift and not the personality due to his disability.
Coming of age, Dominic found a partner with whom they began a family. Soon, his wife was with child, but the unexpected happened at the delivery room which would forever live with him.
Divine neither walks, sits, talks nor plays as any normal child. He depends solely on his father.
Without any solid financial backing – Dominic is unable to access standard healthcare for his son. But for the benevolence of his Church, the Jehovah Shammah Assemblies of God Church, this family would have died from starvation.
For Dominic, he wonders why life has dealt him such a heavy blow – a double predicament but can one question God? He finds solace in the song – God Will Make A Way.
Even before the outbreak of the Coronavirus, Persons Living with Disabilities face a lot of economic, social, and financial crises being categorized among the marginalized or vulnerable group. The Kodzi’s have been reeling from the impact of the pandemic with COVID-19 further exposing the cracks and inequalities in the system. “Building back better: towards an Inclusive, Accessible and Sustainable post COVID-19 World by, for and with Persons With Disabilities” is the UN’s central theme for the 2021 International Day of Persons Living With Disabilities. However, cases such as these leave one thinking whether achieving an accessible and inclusive world with PWD’s in mind is attainable.
Read More: https://www.stage.gbcghanaonline.com/category/features/
Below is the video;
https://youtu.be/_V_q7wcFfjs
