Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by Tess and Nadiia Ploshchenko on Unsplash   I remember the first time somebody spoke to me about the importance of my mental health. Extra points if you can guess what race they were. I suppose I had kind of heard of mental health issues but under the guise of "demon possession" and spirits that needed to be cast out by prayer. As an African Christian, I’d only ever heard of mental issues in this way, from television to family gossip. It was not something a “normal” person like me had to think about. But then all of a sudden, I did have to think about ..read more

Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by Pawel Czerwinski and Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash   It was only in 2019 that I found out about it. I winced in slight discomfort and pain as two bloodied latex gloved fingers re-inserted themselves between my legs. Looking up at the ceiling I sent a prayer to God hoping that the gynaecologist and the shadowing medical student did not find anything life-altering but would at least find an explanation as to why the last decade of my life for 7-10 days a month my vagina went through its own version of Armageddon.   It just so happened that my a ..read more

Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by Jordon Conner and Jessica Felicio on Unsplash   In 2019, I fell victim to the Instagram Infographic Industrial Complex. There, in shades of lavender and baby pink, was an infographic that gently sat me down and listed a few common signs of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in women. The infographic murmured sympathetically as I looked at the long trail of unfinished projects that followed me; it chuckled a little as I recalled the exam season prayer sessions which involved me fervently rebuking spirits of procrastination and laziness. A ..read more

Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by Sam Burriss and Ivan Bandura on Unsplash   It’s been five and a half months since my resection surgery, and it’s given me a lot of time to look back on my last 11 years of living with a chronic illness. A childhood diagnosis was bittersweet and dizzying; although it greatly complicated my early years, it also meant early and accessible treatment from a team of dedicated pediatric consultants.   Crohn’s Disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which can affect the entire digestive system, but most commonly the gut. Inflammation is caused wh ..read more

Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by FLY:D and Ben Scott on Unsplash   In early 2016 I experienced symptoms of mild depression in which I lost motivation in wanting to do anything. I completely stopped going out, and I stopped interacting with friends and family but never really paid attention to the change in my behaviour. By the end of the year, I had an unusual experience where I was having intrusive thoughts, having visions and delusions appear in front of me and hearing voices while at work that was getting worse over a short period of time. These symptoms were so alien to me and f ..read more

Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by Glen Carrie and Jessica Felicio on Unsplash   As I write this, I’ve calculated that it is 455 days, 65 weeks and 6 days or 15 months since I first showed signs of being infected with COVID-19. During my journey with what is now known as Long COVID, I have experienced a myriad of weird and non-wonderful symptoms. The random symptoms that range from debilitating to plain annoying. Last week, due to neuropathy, I thought I would lose the ability to walk. Long COVID is defined by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) as signs and symptoms ..read more

Artwork by Richard Kahwagi. Photos by Teemu Paananen and Lucas Gouvêa on Unsplash   Sometimes I find it hard to imagine what day-to-day life was like before the COVID pandemic and national lockdowns. I feel like we’ve all become germaphobes now: we’re all touch starved but at the same time touch-hesitant, masks are the new norm, Zoom calls and Team’s meeting are the standard, and we are all just that bit more considerate of personal space. Will things ever go back to the way they were before? Do we even want them to? I don’t think many of us really understood the gravity of the situation ..read more