After a tragic accident that left him paralysed, Dr Hussein Dossajee had to make tough choices to become a celebrated paediatrician

You almost never became a doctor…
Yes.  I was involved in an accident just before joining university. The car I was travelling in rolled along Mombasa Road. Initially, I was paralysed from the neck down. It was a slow recovery process in hospital for almost four months.

How did you beat the paralysis?
My physiotherapist told me, “In your head all joints move and the day you are able to move one, you will gradually move all.” The day I moved my big toe was the happiest day of my life. There was hope that something can work and I stood a chance to walk again. After I left hospital, I could limp and drag my left side around.