Raising above all tribulations: The inspirational story of Bright Oywaya

Bright Oywaya, the executive director of Association for Safe International Road Travel- Kenya.

Bright Oywaya’s story has been told before, but rarely has she spoken about the struggles she faced after her accident in 1997.
At the time, Bright was an exuberant young woman with dreams to conquer. She was a banker and had just joined the fascinating corporate world. But like everyone who encounters life-changing hurdles, Bright had no clue that her life would drastically change in a split second. She remembers seeing a car advancing into a head-on-collision with theirs.
“It was traumatic. The realisation that I could no longer walk and would need assistance with almost everything was devastating,” she says. Bright was paralysed from the waist down. Behind her physical injuries, though, was another problem.
“There are swirling thoughts that hit you. You start thinking about life in a different light,” recalls Bright. “Even people around you seem disconnected. The people you knew as friends start peeling off from you, some because they don’t know how to handle you in the new state while others  no longer find any common interests with you.”
Not only did Bright lose her ability to walk, she also lost her self-esteem, friendships and close relationships.
Even though after the accident she was able to go back to work, albeit in a wheel chair, Bright faced daily realities that she was a ‘new’ person. She admits she fought negative thoughts and tried as much as she could to accept what had happened.

Restored hope