Former KCB and Tusker FC footballer David Opati Etale has shared a chilling life-changing incident he encountered during a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan with the British army in 2009.
After featuring for the two clubs in the Kenyan Premier League and the junior national teams, Etale relocated to the UK where he joined the British army as a marine officer.
It is during one of the peace missions in the Far East that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blew up injuring him badly. The injuries he suffered during the incident resulted in one of his legs being amputated, an incident he says changed his life completely.
In an emotional post on social media, Etale revealed that he severally came close to taking his own life as he found it difficult to accept the life changing operation.
“Today will be the first time that I am sharing my story with my fellow brothers and sisters who embrace the beautiful game. And the reason why I have decided to do this is because not everyone will be a professional footballer, but you can still be successful in life with whatever you do after football.
I wake up every day thankful. In 2009, I was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Afghanistan while on duty as a soldier with the British army — that should have killed me.
I sustained life changing injuries. My body became fragile and prone to injuries that ended up costing me my leg. I attempted suicide twice because I felt I had nothing more to live for,” read the post in part.
The former speedster who worked under Coach Rishadi Shedu at KCB and coach Jacob Ghost Mulei at Tusker went on to encourage upcoming players and young people in general that they can achieve whatever they want in life.
“It has been a long road to recovery with so much pain and suffering, but I will always be thankful to God for his amazing strength. Do you know how many times I have heard that you can’t do this and you can’t do that? I love it when someone says that, because I go and do it without even thinking twice.
So pay no attention to the people that say it can’t be done. Just say yes you can. I hope I can inspire and motivate one person out there. Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional”, he concluded.
