Up Close … with Shamira Sally |16 June 2020

A buoyant Shamira taking part in a fashion show during an end-of-year party

‘Even if you have gone through a traumatic experience, don’t ever believe that you are different or that you cannot achieve anything’

By Elsie Pointe

When 22-year-old Shamira Sally boarded a plane to undertake a university degree in Malaysia in 2018, she never would have imagined that this would set off a series of unfortunate events that would led to her amputation. Almost a year since she underwent surgery in the southeast Asian country, Shamira, who currently resides at Machabée, Glacis, shares her story with Seychelles NATION.

Childhood and education

Shamira grew up with her twin brother Stanio Sally with single mother, Marie-Andrée Sally, at the helm of the household. Their father passed away when the siblings were only three months old.

“It was a normal childhood. We played with friends and fought a lot – it was fun,” Shamira reminisced.

“When you’re a child you don’t see things like they truly are, but gradually as we grew up we realised that our mum was struggling to provide. She is a very strong woman and did everything she could to support us.”

Shamira and Stanio undertook their education at La Rosière primary and English River secondary schools but parted ways at post-secondary level when Shamira went to the Seychelles Business Studies Academy (SBSA) and Stanio to the then School of Advanced Level Studies (Sals).

At SBSA, Shamira excelled and came out on top as the outstanding performer for 2018 in the City & Guild exams, gaining the only distinction of the year, and best performer for diploma in Office Management and Administration.

These achievements scored her a full government-sponsored scholarship ride to further her studies.

“I didn’t take secondary seriously but I toughened up in post-secondary. I felt motivated to keep achieving greater results.”

In September 2018, Shamira sat down for her first lectures at Segi Univesity in Malaysia with the aim of completing a three-year business management Bachelor’s degree.

Hospitals and surgery

“In July 2019 I got sick, was admitted to hospital and had to amputate my right arm. I was right-handed and I couldn’t continue with my studies. Moreover I desperately wanted to come back home because it felt right to be home with family,” Shamira recounted.

“It was very difficult to accept the amputation but there was no other choice. I kept thinking of how my life would drastically change – it would never be the same again.”

Shamira’s difficult journey started with a fever while she was studying in Malaysia. Not thinking much of it, she went to the hospital and was made to take some tests. A few days after being admitted to the hospital, Shamira said that her heart rate spiked and she was rushed to intensive care.

“I had transferred hospitals – from a private hospital, which informed me that my health insurance would not cover my health costs to a public hospital.”

At the public hospital in Malaysia, Shamira fell into a coma for eight days and, by the time she woke up, her right arm had gangrened. Gangrene is the death of body tissues in a limb or digit caused by insufficient blood supply to the affected area.

“To this date, we’ve never had an actual explanation of why any of this happened. Maybe they did not insert the needles in my vein properly, we don’t know,” Shamira said. “Initially they said I had a blood infection, I can’t recall what they said exactly, which they say resulted into a blood clot.”

Efforts to gain her medical files from the hospitals are ongoing.

Coming back to the Seychelles

Being admitted in a hospital due to a severe illness and losing a limb would have been a difficult time for anyone, in any circumstance. But it was doubly hard for Shamira who found herself more than 5000km away from family members and loved ones.

Nonetheless, she received the unwavering support of other Seychellois students also studying in Malaysia.

“My brother [Stanio] left his internship in Seychelles to be by my side in Malaysia but he couldn’t stay for long. But the rest of the Seychellois students were very helpful and supportive. There were times when I was depressed but they were there as my constant until I flew back home,” Shamira explained.

“Ultimately, I decided to come back to Seychelles because I wanted to be with my mother and I didn’t want to be a burden on the students who were busy with their courses. The medication they gave me was so strong that I couldn’t do much and adapting to my left hand was not really easy, so I left Malaysia.”

Life as an amputee

Almost a year since her amputation, Shamira has made strides in adapting with using only her left arm.

“I started learning how to use my left hand in place of my right when I was still in Malaysia. My roommate gave me a book that helped; writing and eating was difficult and in fact it was my friends who were helping me eat at first. But then I decided to do it on my own, even if I my hand was shaking and food kept falling to the ground.”

In Seychelles, Shamira continuously practiced how to write and do other things that she used to take for granted.

“Everybody is now shocked that I can drive a manual car with only my left hand – it’s easy. I put on my own clothes, hook my own bra, shower, type on a computer and I’m now attempting to learn how to cook.”

Although she is presently working part-time as a trainee in the audit department of a local bank, Shamira hopes to one day complete her university degree and gain her masters.

She noted that the Agency for National Human Resource Development (ANHRD) has left this opportunity open to her for when she is ready to continue with a degree, since her scholarship is still valid.

“I strongly believe in God and I think He is the one who helped me to overcome. I’ve tried to stay positive and not limit myself because of people’s stares or whispers. I wouldn’t say I’m different because I can do anything non-amputees can.”

“Of course, there are moments when I feel low but I continue to persevere. It takes a lot of determination and courage to face this world.”

Shamira’s perseverance and strength also had to extend itself to her mother’s cancer diagnosis – a diagnosis that came around the same time she lost her right arm.

“She remains positive and energetic. A lot of things happened in the space of a year and I sometimes asked ‘why us?’. I needed my mother but she was overcoming her own battles and it wasn’t easy on us, but she always remains optimistic.”

Words of wisdom

“Even if you have gone through a traumatic experience, don’t ever believe that you are different or that you cannot achieve anything. Take it as your motivation and when people say you can’t, prove them otherwise. Open up and express yourself rather than keeping it all bottled in.”

Photo sources: Shamira Sally