Grace’s Story
Grace is a 50-year-old mother, who has not been living with her family. She was diagnosed with major depression but, with treatment, she is currently well. As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Grace has agreed to share her story as an encouragement to others to seek help when needed.
“Before I visited Kiwoko Hospital, I was working in Jordan in the Middle East. While there I was overwhelmed by the pressure of work and being far away from my family, and I generally did not have support socially. I became stressed, very sad, lost weight, and hated everything around me. I even tried to end my life on two occasions because I had completely lost hope for life.
When deported back to Uganda, my relatives advised and took me to a witch doctor for traditional healing because we all believed it was a witchcraft problem. There we spent 300,000 UGX (approx. £65). But it was all in vain.
When I learnt that I may be having mental illness from a friend, I was advised to visit Kiwoko Hospital to check if this was the problem. At the visit, the doctor told me it was depression and I needed medicine and regular follow-up for complete healing. There I spent only 30,000 UGX (approx. £6.50) at that time. From that time my life started changing positively and I regained all my hope and courage. Now I am able to work well and support my family.
I encourage people who have worry or feel depressed to always seek professional mental health services because it is usually not witchcraft like I thought. I also encourage my friends who have such problems and work in very busy programs abroad to seek help from a professional doctor.
Thank you Kiwoko Hospital, for you saved my life. And great thanks to Jesus, for I found salvation as well!“
[Story and photo used with permission.]
