Polio is a very coercive and disabling disease. But as a polio survivor, I’ve been able to draw extra motivation from the disabilities the disease left me with. It gave me a taste for effort and hard work. I was able to turn what seemed like a threat into an opportunity.
I contracted polio at the age of one in Dakar, Senegal. The fever lasted for days, and paralysis set in, especially on the right side of my legs. Although the doctors initially thought I had malaria, it ended up being polio.
After several operations and countless sessions of functional re-education, I was able to walk on crutches. It didn’t stop me from playing soccer with my friends, going to the beach, and so on. Overall, I have excellent memories of my childhood.
Even so, I was aware of my reduced mobility and that’s why I concentrated on my studies. I quickly realized that I had to work harder than able-bodied people to succeed. I was able to do my classes without any difficulty, with the precious help of my schoolmaster, who would let me go 10 minutes before the other pupils so that he wouldn’t knock me over.
I studied mathematics and computer science in Senegal, then continued my studies at the Université Paris Saclay in Orsay, where I graduated with a degree in computer science, specializing in databases. Having started my career in Paris, I worked for a number of major French companies, before returning to Senegal in 2000 to join the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). I served there for 21 years before recently setting up my own business consultancy firm.
I have been thankful for the ability to study and work and earn a living with dignity, and for a mother who helped me face every obstacle and accompanied me with tireless dedication. My family and all those around me have played, and continue to play, a vital role. Those of us with disabilities face difficulties of various kinds: accessibility, apprehension, stigmatization, and isolation. But anything is possible with a strong mind and an understanding, committed environment.
I was introduced to Rotary in 2013 by a friend who was a doctor and member of the Rotary Club of Dakar Soleil. He explained Rotary’s polio eradication efforts. I immediately said to myself that I wanted to be part of this noble effort. Today, I’m president of my club and very much involved in the Senegal Polio Committee.
Polio has no cure but is preventable by vaccine. As a Rotarian and polio survivor, I urge you to join my fellow Rotary members and I in our continued effort to eradicate this disease. No child should ever have to suffer from its effects again.
