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Kenyan diplomat on path to recovery after massive stroke
A Kenyan diplomat, who splits his time in Africa and North Texas, is on the road to recovery after a near brush with death on his 54th birthday.
ALLEN, Texas - A Kenyan diplomat, who splits his time in Africa and North Texas, is on the road to recovery after a near brush with death on his 54th birthday.
Abraham Kirwa suffered a debilitating stroke, and after completing months of rehab in Allen, he's sharing his story in hopes of helping other men.
Kenyan diplomat suffers stroke
What Happened:
Last summer, Kirwa suffered a stroke while doing a radio interview in Africa.
The Kenyan lawmaker would suffer a second one and spend nearly three weeks in the hospital overseas before he was well enough to fly to North Texas for physical therapy.
Abraham Kirwa on recovery path
Kirwa is hitting his stride as he continues his restorative care. The 54-year-old Allen resident is able to walk his two massive Great Pyrenees dogs around the block. The activity is something he could not have done just a few months ago.
Kirwa, a Kenyan diplomat, recalls that fateful August 2024 day when he was in his native country and suffered a stroke while in the middle of a radio interview.
He would spend 18 days in a Kenyan hospital, then several more days at a hospital in Dubai, where doctors discovered he had suffered a second stroke. Finally, he was flown back to North Texas, where his neurologist enrolled him in the stroke rehab program at Texas Health Allen.
That's where he met physical therapist Bryan Anderson, who worked with Kirwa for three months.
Kirwa began his recovery with five sessions per week with Anderson. Anderson says Kirwa was barely able to stand at the start of his recovery journey.
Kirwa's rehab included physical, speech and occupational therapy. Videos documented his progress, showing improvements week by week.
Big picture view:
More than 13 million people per year are affected by stroke worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. The lack of access to a comprehensive rehab program is just one barrier in the recovery process.
What they're saying:
Kirwa explained the beginning of his recovery journey.
"They were working on the strength of my legs, they were working on my arms, they were working on my speech," Kirwa said.
For Anderson, helping patients like Kirwa is personal. Anderson's mother died from a stroke.
"When I get to have these second chances with these patients who come through my door, I feel like it's a privilege and more of a challenge for me to make my mom proud through their rehabilitation," Anderson said.
Kirwa is urging other men to listen to their bodies.
"I know I'm still getting better every day, but somewhere, somehow, I am telling men ‘your health comes first, and number two is others,’" Kirwa said.
What's next:
Once cleared by his doctors, Kirwa plans to travel back to Kenya to resume his governmental duties.
He represents some 200 thousand constituents, and knows their well-being is important too.
The Source: Information in this article came from Abraham Kirwa and Bryan Anderson.