'How I survived being mentally disturbed'
Nathi Mbano shares his story of mental instability, memory loss and triumph after being involved in an accident that left him with brain damage.
In 2011 Nathi became a victim of a life-threatening accident at a wire factory when one of the wires snapped from a rolling machine and burrowed right below his eye socket, just missing his eye. The accident left him with memory loss and hallucinations. It was not only the incident that he did not remember but also fragments of his past life. “It was my older brother who told me of what had happened to me,” explains Nathi.
"I was hospitalised for a week. It was during this time that the nurses noticed that I was in fact mentally disturbed. I was reported to be disruptive and violent at night in the ward. I was said to be speaking no sense at times and I had hallucinations. I had lost my mind", says Nathi. Neurological test results soon confirmed that Nathi's brain had indeed been affected and that he needed immediate treatment.
Nathi recalls that apart from memory loss and poor reflexes, the other big challenge for him was taking care of himself. He was in the custody of his sisters, his older brother and his ex-wife, whom he admits was still angry at him and therefore slacked at taking care of him. It became evident to Nathi and his family that he needed someone to settle down with him, who could devote time and effort into taking care of him. "Eventually my family resorted to arranging a marriage where I would have a full-time wife who would learn to love me and so take good care of me," he says. "I never imagined that I would be in an arranged marriage," he continues.
Nathi and his beautiful young wife got married and moved to their home. They later had a baby girl whom they named Esethu, meaning 'our gift'.
"Although it had major challenges, my journey from being a normal, able man, to being mentally disturbed had a silver lining. I got to love again and welcomed my daughter Esethu."
Nathi and his family now live in the countryside, enjoying the tranquillity of clean fresh air, open fields and good health. Although he had to leave behind and forget his old life in the city, Nathi says what he is most grateful for is a second chance at life.