IMAGINE being born with a condition, just hours on earth and your father rejects you and sends your mum packing for bearing you?
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Well, that’s the heartbreaking story of a 27 year old Lusaka man who says his own father disowned him the very day he was born, all because he came prematurely and was later diagnosed with sickle cell disease.
The fact is we all want to be loved by those who paved way for our birth, but to be denied and thrown away by your own flesh and blood? That’s some really heartbreaking stuff.
Wisdom Sakala recalls the story as told by his mother.
“My father was at work when he heard that my mother had given birth. Instead of being happy, he accused her of bringing shame to the family because I was born at seven months,” he narrated.
“Instead of feeling good on that day, my
father ended his day not to come and welcome me, his newborn, but to disown my mother for giving birth when she was only seven months pregnant.”
Even when Wisdom was put in an incubator as a premature baby, the dad lived in denial and packed the mother’s belongings the very day she experienced the most excruciating pain on earth, labour.
“My mum tells me that we were forced to go and live with my grandmother after I was discharged from the hospital. My father works as an electrician and supervisor at UTH (University Teaching Hospital). His name is Elliot Mbewe. It’s been 27 years now and my father has never bothered to know about my well-being,” Wisdom told Kalemba in an interview.
Growing up fatherless and battling a chronic illness, Wisdom’s childhood was anything but easy.
He described countless hospital visits, painful seizures during school exams and days when his mother could barely afford medication.
“Life has not been easy. I didn’t do well in Grade 12 because each time I was writing exams, I would develop seizures,” he said.
Despite his mother’s relentless efforts by surviving on tomato sales to keep them afloat, Wisdom’s health battles continued to dim his academic dreams.
“I have always wanted to study medicine so that I can help people like me. But because I’m often hospitalised or not feeling well, it’s been hard to pursue that dream,” he explained.
“At the moment, I can’t do GCE because of finances but I really want to rewrite and have the right results so that as time goes by, I can enrol into university one day.”
Despite the pain and rejection, Wisdom remains determined to keep moving forward as he has since completed a computer skills training course under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) bursary and hopes to rewrite his school exams when funds allow.
“Sickle cell is a tough disease. It’s expensive to manage and sometimes I feel discouraged. But my mother’s love keeps me strong,” he shared.
Wisdom also runs a movement called Wisdom’s Sickle Cell Journey on Facebook where he helps raise awareness about the chronic disease.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, October 7, 2025
