Talented Kaapse entertainer Zakariyah Toerien has made a miraculous recovery from a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves.
What was once a lifestyle of ‘booked and busy’ came to an abrupt halt in 2019, when he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome.
But now after five years of paralysis, the Mitchells Plain dad of two is finally back on his feet and had social media followers in tears when he posted a picture of him standing and holding his youngest child for the first time.
Zakariyah says in January 2019, while touring the country with a show called ‘Legends’, he was on a two week break as his wife had just given birth to their second child.
He was due to leave for Joburg on January 13 when tragedy struck.
He recalls: “I woke up at 5am with this tingling feeling in my hands, pins and needles,.
“Everything felt heavy and different, I ran a bath and found that I could not control the tap as I had no strength.
“I locked the door but couldn’t unlock it and had to use my mouth.
“I cancelled my trip and told my wife to take me to hospital, after various tests it was discovered that I had Guillain Barre Syndrome.”
It was two days before opening night at Carnival City. But Zakariyah was unable to move, he wet himself and soon was not able to breathe on his own and was put on a ventilator.
He says: “I remember waking up in Groote Schuur Hospital with Boeta Maan [Omar Adams], my wife and Loukmaan Adams around the bed but I was unable to speak.”
But then he went into a coma, and was also diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Zakariyah remembers: “It turned out I wasn’t just sleeping for two days, but for six months. I woke up on June 6.”
He had to learn to speak again and spent months in rehabilitation, paralysed and wheelchair bound, adding: “I was now being cared for by various people including a social worker, physiotherapist, speech therapist and occupational therapist.”
He was eventually discharged, still paralysed, and says he has a newfound respect for the disabled.
Zakaraiyah currently relies on his social grant to sustain his family and adds: “My wife Sameegah has been a real blessing.
“We have been married for thirteen years now, with two daughters, aged five and 11. She had to do everything for me, while seeing to the kids, alone.”
Last week was a huge milestone and cause for celebration for the Toerien family when Zakariyah managed to walk by himself.
He says: “I was overcome with emotions, my five-year-old daughter only knows me for being paralysed, so to her this was extra special. Praise be to Allah.”
venecia.america@inl.co.za