Former Tanzanian songstress Vanessa Mdee has opened up on a personal struggle she went through nine years ago where she lost sight in her left eye.
She was speaking on her family YouTube Channel christened Vee and Roo, named after he and her husband and American artist Rotimi, where she delved into her journey right from the moment she lost her eyesight to getting reconstructive surgery and her current progress in regaining her sight.
The American-based ‘Niroge’ hit maker shared that the onset of her eye problems began while she was in Kenya for a performance.
“In 2015, I went to Nairobi, Kenya for Coke Studio with Burna Boy, and we were performing. It was a lot of fun. I landed in Nairobi on Sunday and went to sleep. On Monday morning, I woke up with excruciating pain in my left eye. I couldn’t understand what it was. I shared with my team but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” she narrated.
She added that, contrary to her expectations, the pain persisted for an entire week, forcing her to seek medical attention.
“The pain got crazier as the week went on. I went to see a specialist, and he said I had experienced retinal detachment. I didn’t understand it back then, but over time I have become more informed.
I was losing my eyesight day by day…
We went into some emergency procedure and the doctor did the best he could but we couldn’t save my eyesight. So I ended up losing my eyesight about 10 days after. For someone born with two seeing eyes, it was quite a blow,” the content creator candidly shared.
Doctors could not pin point how or why she developed retinal detachment, rendering her helpless with the condition. The mother of two was presented with new challenges, experiencing difficulty driving among other struggles. Eventually, this took a toll on her mental health, prompting her to leave social media.
She made a comeback right before having her first child, posting a photo of herself where netizens were quick to note her affected eye .
“I took a break from social media for about two to three years to focus on my mental health… Just before having Seven, I posted a picture on my socials, and honestly, I started seeing the picture circulate. I didn’t understand what was going on. Then I realized they were talking about my eye…and it made me a little bit insecure,” Vanessa Mdee revealed.
Vanessa stated that she could not have pulled through from the mental distress without the support of her husband, who she thanked for stabding by her and affirming her even when she felt insecure.
“I have the most supportive husband in the world because he was always complimenting me. He’s just the best,” the ‘Kisela’ singer gushed.
She gave an update on the current state of her sight ,revealing that she recently had surgery and was optimistic that she would make a full recovery.
