Determined youth overcomes disability to chase his dreams
When life gives you lemons, regardless of how sour, throw in an insane amount of sugar and make a mean lemonade!
This is the ethos Boago Gosenyang lives by.
Despite being blind, since the age of 10, the 29-year-old is determined to chase his dreams.
He is currently part of the team that produces the Molemi Ithute and Pitso ya Balemi radio programmes for the Ministry of Agriculture, describing radio as a second set of eyes through which he sees the world.
His life story screams courage and strength.
Born partially blind, Gosenyang was diagnosed with glaucoma when he was still a child.
He recalls that when it first started, his parents overlooked it, thinking he was just sensitive to light.
It was his aunt who, out of concern, urged his parents to book him a consultation with an optician.
“That doctor’s appointment revealed that I had a condition known as glaucoma, a common eye condition where the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged,” he explains, adding the condition is usually caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye, which increases pressure inside the eye.
“I was then brought in for surgery, which left me blind in one eye.”
At the age of 10, he lost sight in his other eye, leaving him completely blind.
Despite undergoing such a traumatic experience at such a young age, from having a partial view of the world to being plunged into complete darkness, Gosenyang says he adjusted relatively easily.
“Unlike someone who was fully able to see and then blind the next day, I had already struggled with my sight for a long time so it was not that scary and difficult. I lost my sight at a very young age, and I had not really seen much of the world around me,” the level-headed youth reflects calmly.
He admits it was challenging having to now rely on other people and his white cane to carry out tasks.
Additionally, he was no longer able to play with other kids like he used to.
“I attended school in Francistown and later went to Mochudi and it was a hassle getting by every day. I had to quickly learn braille, but still it was not every teacher who could prepare notes and worksheets for me in braille, which posed a challenge.”
He ruefully remembers regularly getting into trouble for not doing his work, which was in print, insisting this was unfair to him and other blind students.
Nonetheless, with a burning desire to succeed trumping limited resources, Gosenyang overcame the odds and made his way steadily through school.
In 2021, he graduated with a BA (Hons) Degree in Broadcasting and Journalism from Limkokwing University.
“I have always been a go-getter, determined to take up spaces and leave a positive mark on everyone I encounter,” continues Gosenyang, who has certainly left a massive impression on this impressed reporter!
He has volunteered at numerous places, including The Blood Transfusion Centre where he was a mobiliser for blood donation.
He credits his success to the support of his family and friends, who, he says, have assisted him and have always supported him with utmost patience.
“The support has been amazing but I thoroughly believe that for support to be perfected, people have to accept themselves to be able to fully and accurately express how they want to be assisted by those around them.”
He further encouraged people living with disabilities to step outside the mindset of hopelessness, to dream big and to strive for success.
“As for parents and guardians of children with disabilities, I urge you to stop hiding those children and take them to schools to allow them to flourish,” he advised.
Gosenyang says his ultimate dream is to be one of the best broadcasters in the country – and when he sets his mind to something, he usually achieves it!