A partially-deaf nurse has disclosed to What’s On-Gambia that her hearing was damaged as a child after she was brutally slapped by her neighbour.

Ndey Fatou Njie said: “We were all staying in the same compound. I was playing with his daughter and then she suddenly started crying for no reason. The father came and slapped me on my face.”

She continued: “I started bleeding from my right ear. My mum rushed me to the hospital where I was given medication to stop the bleeding. It was in Grade 8 when I started losing all the hearing in my right ear, but I refused to drop out of school.”

Ndey Fatou defied the odds to become the country’s only know deaf nurse. She disclosed: “I was visiting different health centres with my mum seeking treatment and it was during that time I got inspired by the nurses and doctors I met. I am now a qualified nurse working at the Sukuta Health Centre. I love my job!”

The 23-year-old further disclosed: “When I was doing my Community Health Nursing (CHN) in Mansakonko, my teachers were very supportive. One of them, Malick Manneh said I was not disabled but differently disabled.”

When asked whether it’s possible to regain her hearing, Ndey Fatou said: “Yes, I was I told it’s possible with surgery in countries like Turkey or Germany.  But there is no money to pay for it.”

She thanked her mum for helping her overcome a lot of obstacles to pursue her dreams.