A 24-year-old woman went to church to seek hope only to meet her doom.
That is the long and short of Paulina Anokye Sarpong’s story, who has become paralyzed after an unattended vehicle knocked her down at a church compound.
Paulina, a resident of Kwadaso in Kumasi, suffered the fate in bizarre circumstances two years ago.
She had then joined worshippers at Bantama Christ Apostolic Church on June 11, 2015, as part of a 40-day fasting and prayer programme.
Paulina says she stepped out of the chapel to visit the washroom but a parked vehicle suddenly started to move unattended to and knocked down.
She was severely injured in the accident that happened within seconds.
Doctors detected she had a neck tumor during treatment of her injuries.
Though she underwent surgery with the help of relatives, Paulina could not move her limbs afterwards.
She told Nhyira FM’s Obra magazine programme that both the church and the owner of the vehicle that knocked her down have left her to her fate.
Though doctors have assured she could walk again, continuous medication and physiotherapy have not improved her situation.
Meanwhile, her medical bills are piling up.
Paulina’s accident was treated as an internal church matter hence it was never reported to the police.
Auntie Doris, a relative of Paulina and a member of the Bantama Christ Apostolic Church, says the church has assisted Paulina but says it is not enough.
The owner of the vehicle that knocked Paulina down, Shirley Amoako, says she is yet to overcome the shock of her life after that bizarre incident.
The vehicle, she said, had been parked for four hours with engine turned off and the hand brakes pulled.
She has described the incident as ‘mysterious’.
source: Ghana/Nhyira FM/Naa Amerley