When life
gives lemons, make lemonade!
When a child is born,
joy, ululations, smiles and chuckles of laughter fill the air. There is always
hope that the child will grow in an exponential trajectory. The same was for Peter
Kanyonyo Oloise, even though he was born in moderate paucity. I will share with
you the story of a dear friend, the story of a brother. Peter Kanyonyo Oloise.
A story of pain but a story of triumph
Kanyonyo was born in
the midst of hope. This hope however dissipated when Kanyonyo was struck by Juvenile
Osteoporosis at the tender age of 6 months. Osteoporosis is a disease of the
bones and very unlikely to occur in children according to W.H.O. His bones became
brittle and it took him seven years to start walking. But even then his weak
bones made his walking a disheartening, laborious and painful experience. The
weak willed would have given up but not Kanyonyo. He pursued his studies with
vigour, cruising through the challenges and completed his secondary education.
He not only passed his exams but also his power of pathos and steely
determination won him every mans admiration.
Kanyonyo lived with my family from the age of 25. Living close to him, I experienced first-hand the
special traits of this man. As Kanyonyo advanced in years, his weight increased and his weak
bones could not carry him. At 30 kgs he turned to crutches for
support as he could no longer walk freely. Quite often I had to assist him move. We normally used a bicycle for his movement but I remember a night when I had to hoist him on shoulders and carry him home after our bicycle got stuck in a muddy
puddle after a heavy downpour. “You waddle like a duck, he would say hanging on
my back”, as I struggled to get him through the muddy path home. His sense of
humour never waned.
After high school,
Kanyonyo decided to pursue Christian studies- one of his favorite areas of
pedagogy. He completed a diploma course and was later admitted in a Pentecostal
Bible College for a bachelor of arts degree in Theology. He graduated with first
class honors, or what the Latin call "Magna cum laude" - with great honors, breaking a six year record in that college. This was all in stride. Kanyonyo
married his longtime friend and sweetheart Sarah in a flamboyant wedding in year 2002. Some
of the guests found it a complete spectacle when a beautiful woman said yes to a physically
challenged man. But Kanyonyo would tell me “Titus, I am
marrying the most beautiful woman east of Sahara and north of Limpompo”. Kanyonyo
started teaching at a local Bible college and to make his movement easier the
community aided in buying him a car.
One early Morning
while driving to see a couple friend (Peter and Eunice) in a town called Kibirichia, the car lost its axle while avoiding an oncoming track, veering off
the road it somersaulted before crash-landing with a deadly thud.
It was a horrific sight as shrieks and blood melded on the scene of the
accident living on its trail, a wrecked vehicle and mortal agonies. Kanyonyo
was hospitalized at Chogoria Mission hospital, undergoing a number of surgeries
under an orthopedic surgeon. This horrible accident took him from crutches
to using a wheelchair. And for a sometime he got wheeled to events, which he
never missed as a local preacher and an admired celebrant. Kanyonyo would later
get up from the wheelchair and pursue life as normal.
Two years down the
line Kanyonyo and Sarah were blessed with a bouncing baby girl; Caron
Soteria. An intelligent girl and as
sharp as a razor, then came Yobel Kanyonyo as handsome as a prince. Caron and
Yobel became an amazing duo, a source of inspiration for every dawning day in
Kanyonyo’s family – They also love their father like they did their heart beats. Kanyonyo and Sarah may
have seen all brutality in life, but as a deer panting for a brook of water
in the Kalahari desert, their undying resolve has kept them moving. They are a
source of inspiration in my own backyard. They have broken the rubicon to
remain strong under difficult circumstances of life.
Life has got its twists and turns but unflinching look at the discord of Kanyonyo’s life gives you a
startling triumph of this physically impaired son of a woman. Let me give the
three lessons I have learnt through Kanyonyo’s life and time
1.
Life
may not be fair all times – therefore purpose to transcend every challenge – Kanyonyo
could have looked back and died in self-pity but he chose to love himself and turn his world around
2.
You
snooze you lose – procrastination due to present challenges is a worthless
endeavor. Opportunities can disappear in the blink of an eye. Despite the
challenges do it now anyway. Just as Robin Sharma said in his book, “the best
time to plant a tree was 40 years ago and the second best is now” You cannot
afford to waste one more second. This was Kanyonyo’s principle
3.
Your
present circumstances should not define your future. Kanyonyo suffered
Osteoporosis, walked in crutches, got into an
accident, got into a wheelchair but now Peter Kanyonyo is a Father, a husband,
a lecturer, a preacher, a mentor and believe you me, he is the last man
standing in the village of my ancestors.
