I’m in constant pain in a wheelchair after a freak supermarket trolley accident and now my five-year-old is my carer
A MUM has been left wheelchair-bound and in constant pain after a freak accident with a supermarket trolley.
Josephine Kalagira, 38, was left to rely on her five-year-old son to act as her carer after the horror incident at her local shop in April 2017.
She had only nipped in to pick up some yoghurt and bent down to scan the shelves when she was struck by a large goods trolley.
The huge cart rolled over her right foot, causing the mum to lose her balance and take a tumble – twisting her ankle in the process.
As her son Jayden, then five, watched on in horror as his mother writhed in agony, she quickly composed herself and limped home.
But after dosing herself up with pain killers and receiving no relief, the 38-year-old went to get checked over at A&;E.
Josephine, from Ipswich, was sent home by medics and advised to rest – but found herself back in hospital just 72 hours later.
She was then given crutches to help her walk – but five years on, she is still experiencing excruciating pain from her supermarket accident.
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Despite visiting various medical professionals in a bid to solve her suffering, none have been able to give her a time scale for her recovery.
Doctors confirmed Josephine had chronic pain due to a condition called Neurological Functional Disorder (NFD).
As well as this, she was battling symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) – which has majorly affected her mobility.
The fed-up mum found walking and completing daily tasks a gruelling challenge – coupled with numerous falls and injuries.
But taking strong medications to try and curb her agony left her sleepy all the time and dealing with a long list of side effects.
Josephine was then given a wheelchair as her movement deteriorated further in October 2019 – leaving her to depend on her young son Jayden.
The now 10-year-old became his mum’s unofficial carer, helping run their home while fretting over Josephine’s condition.
She explained: “He struggled to sleep and concentrate as he did not know whether I would be alive.
“When I struggled to get from one room to another, he was helping to make me a sandwich and a drink and bring it to the bedroom.
“This was so distressing not only for me but for him too.”
Josephine was eventually assigned a personal assistant via a care agency in February 2019 to further assist her on her road to recovery – and take the pressure off the schoolboy.
I thought this cannot be happening to me, I would better be off dead than being here.
Josephine Kalagira
Yet it isn’t just the physical effects of the accident that continued to trouble the mum – as her mental health plummeted.
She hasn’t been able to step foot in a supermarket since her life-changing accident – and once thought she’d “be better off dead”.
The 38-year-old continued: “I was fully aware that my mental health was being aggravated by my physical challenges and this was impacting my ability to be a mum to my wonderful son.
“I was all over again reminded that had it not been that I went shopping that day, all of this would never have happened.
“My job contract was terminated at this point which meant that I was starting to struggle financially.
“My social life had collapsed and was left with no support system other than the one that was criticising and judging me without not knowing what was really going on in my personal life.
“With having a long distant family in Uganda, I thought this cannot be happening to me, I would better be off dead than being here.”
But she found solace in an online community, Mums in Business, where she connected with other women – giving her a new lease of life.
Josephine beamed: “I now have a great group of women and mums I resonate with and can count on.
“On top of that, there have been so many opportunities within MIB that have been life changing for me.”
She overcame her pain to write and co-author three books – two of which became best sellers.
The mum added: “Although my mobility and physical challenges have not improved, I have a clearer understanding of what’s happening to me and my body and I still have my wheelchair which means I can manage to go around the blocks with my son.
“I mean, how could shopping be so dangerous? It’s been five years now but it feels like this injury happened yesterday.
“Having had to do constant inner healing work, learning and developing myself, I am so proud to say that my son is so proud of me.”
Josephine’s adoring son touchingly showed her she is still his hero by dressing up as her on World Book Day last year.
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She said: “He had kept as a secret until the last minute to dress up as me because I inspired him and he did not want to dress up as anyone else.
“I was moved by this act and recognition. He inspires me to never give up no matter the circumstance.”