General News of Thursday, 2 February 2017

Source: 3news.com

Not mad! The sad story of once industrious, now paralysed Yaw Boakye

Yaw became paralysed after he fell while brushing his teeth one morning Yaw became paralysed after he fell while brushing his teeth one morning

Forty-eight-year-old Yaw Boakye has been consigned to one place for eight months in the open without succor. He became paralysed after he slipped and fell one morning while brushing his teeth at Tema station in Accra, where he used to ply his trade. He has not had a proper bath for months.

Family and friends have deserted him so he has no one to help him get shelter when it rains and gets scorched by the sun daily. Not only is Yaw Boakye unable to walk or stand, but his speech is also impaired due to the paralysis.

In a conversation with TV3’s Odilia Agyeman Prempeh, he emphasised that life has been very difficult.

He now sleeps outside the walls of the Tema station on a pavement under the mercy of the weather. He is shunned by many because of his appearance as some mistake him for a mentally deranged person.

Before the unfortunate incident, Yaw formerly sold watches at the station where he earned income for a decent living. He recounts his days when he journeyed to Swedru in the Central region to do business.

His neighbours confirmed Yaw is such an affable person. He now survived on the benevolence of sympathisers who sometimes drop him something for food. When the TV3 team visited him as at 1:00pm, he had not had even breakfast.

Yaw Boakye wants support to enable him live a normal life again.

Watch video of Yaw Boakye