Doctor’s walk of triumph

By Nikko Tanui

They say that when life gives you lemons, give it lemonade. This is exactly what Dr David Sankok did.

The life-changing incident happened in 1988 when he was in Class Six.

He had been taken ill and was rushed to hospital where a doctor made a wrong diagnosis, costing him his leg.

“I recall one night when I was in Class Six, I fell sick and was rushed to a local private clinic.  The doctor examined me and injected my spine with some medicine. That’s how I ended up losing the use of my leg,” he recalls.

He was suffering from pneumonia but the doctor made a wrong diagnosis. It was not an easy transition from a once energetic boy to a dependent child who could not even play football with his friends.

Turning point
Challenging as it was, this was also a turning point for him.

“I could no longer play football with my friends but I resolved I would be a doctor when I grew up to understand what went wrong with my leg and to give my patients the proper care I never received,” Sankok says.

And Sankok has not stopped at that. He has established himself as a suave businessman, the chairman of Narok Central Business Association  and a board   member of National Council of Persons with Disabilities.

Despite his disability,  he made a resolve not to pity himself but to make the best of what he had.

“From an early age I made up my mind to always look for other ways I could maximise on my potential since I did not want to spend the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself.  Yes, I had only lost the ability to use my leg but I still had my brain and hands”, he says.

He also learned not to hold drudges.   “I forgave the doctor responsible for my injury and accepted my condition. I now even see it as God’s plan because my condition propelled me to study Medicine. If it was not for this misfortune I could probably have dropped out of school to be a moran like many of my friends,” Sankok says.

Childhood background
Sankok, 34, was born in Melili, Entoltol sub-location, Narok County. After completing his primary school, he joined Kericho High School in 1996 where his brilliance and leadership qualities were identified and nurtured.

By the time he cleared Form Four, he was the school captain.

He performed so well in his KCSE that he got admission at the University of Nairobi to study Medicine.
In campus, his strong leadership skills saw him elected as the chairman of the vibrant student organisation.

His student activism saw his fallout with the university authorities and he  was suspended  for  some years when he was in his third year of study.

So serious was the fall out that he was forced to seek refuge in Norway where he spent his time studying, earning him a diploma in Medical Science in Bergen University Norway.

Luckily, there was a regime change in 2002 and students who had been suspended were granted amnesty after two years in suspension. He rejoined the university and graduated later on with a degree in Medicine.

After graduating, Sankok, a proud father of six children, did not bother looking for formal employment.He instead opened his own medical centre, Loita Lab Medical Clinic in Narok town. He also ventured in cattle business.

“That same year a severe drought hit  Narok and I bought emaciated cows at throw away prices. I bought the animals for as low as Sh1,000 but sold them later for good money,” he says.

Being at the helm of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities, Sankok has also been in the forefront championing the rights of persons with disabilities.

He challenges them to identify other areas where they can excel other than focusing on their disability.
“Don’t focus on what you can’t do but dwell on the opportunities around. Ignore your weaknesses and use your strengths,” he says.

He appeals to the government to increase cash transfers to persons with disabilities.

“The Sh2,000 stipulated is not enough to take care of persons with disabilities,” he argues.

He appeals to the society not to look down on people with disabilities but to regard them as normal people and accept them for who they are.