How will my son survive when I am gone?

Beatrice Mgenyi, 58, during an interview with Standard at Strathmore University in Nairobi during the marking of International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Nairobi on Monday, December 03 2018 [David Njaaga, Standard]

Beatrice Mgenyi, 58, has done her best to arm her 34-year-old autistic son with life skills. But is it enough?

A few days after I delivered my first son, I noticed some strange white patches on his cheeks. The patches, which I later came to know as eczema, started appearing on other parts of his body especially under his armpits and around his neck. I applied ointment each time the rashes appeared and they would disappear. I didn’t know that the rash was an indication of a bigger battle ahead.