A mother, wife and merchant lost her leg to diabetes, but not her spirit. Today, thanks to her prosthesis she’s able to move freely and inspire others.
My name is Dieumbe Seck. I am a wife and a mother of four children - two boys and two girls. We live in the village of Diabène. Before I got seriously sick, I was a merchant. I used to go to the markets to buy vegetables and sell water, ice, peanut oil, etc. I even had my shop in the village while my husband worked as a driver in a local company. The work allowed me to provide for my family and to support my husband, but it was just after that I had my left leg amputated.
I was diagnosed with diabetes 15 years ago, but it never stopped me from working. In February 2021, after a bath, I noticed a blister on my leg. It burst with liquid, and it was painful. Within days, I could not sleep at night because of the pain. I decided to see a nurse and was referred to the emergency room at the regional hospital in St. Louis. After several hospitalisations, I continued my treatment in Dakar. In March 2021, my left leg was amputated.
The amputation was not painful. All I felt after the procedure was relief – I was finally free from the excruciating pain. It is challenging to know that one of my legs is gone, but I put my faith in God. Nowadays, my life is very normal and stress-free because I can count on the support of my children and my husband, who has now, upon my suggestion, taken a second wife. Fortunately, the second wife also supports me and helps me in the education and upkeep of the family. When I heard about the project, I asked to be a beneficiary. After the amputation, the moment I received my prosthesis was the most immense relief. Now, I can walk trouble-free around the village and give back to my community. There was another local woman who had just had her limb amputated because of diabetes, and she retracted from social life. I befriended her and helped her join a diabetes association. Today, she runs her little shop in front of the school.
Dieumbe Seck is a participant in Improving Management of Diabetes and its Complications in St Louis, Senegal, WDF18-1619, a diabetes foot care project which also built local capacity for producing prosthetic devices.