Professional photographer and videographer Faustine Lipuku, popularly known as Baba Talisha, on Friday, July 25 revealed little known details of his struggles as a single dad in an interview with TV47’s Betty Kyalo.
The father of two disclosed that Talisha was recently diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and Dyslexia.
“Recently she was diagnosed with some conditions,” he said, “she has ASD level 2, and then we have ADHD, and then she has dyslexia.”
He explained that the conditions Talisha now lives with were caused by a tragic road accident that not only changed her life but also claimed the life of her mother.
The devastating crash occurred on August 15, 2020, when the family was involved in a serious car accident on Thika Superhighway. While Baba Talisha and his daughter survived, his wife, Milka, tragically lost her life on the spot.
Talisha suffered a severe brain injury and a mild concussion, which led to bleeding in her brain and caused it to swell. She was admitted to the ICU, lost her ability to speak, and had to relearn basic functions from scratch.
“She had a brain injury, a severe brain injury. At the back she had slight concussion, which made blood ikaenda kwa brain yake kidogo, so it swelled. So since then, that is why alikaa ICU kidogo, the speech ikapotea, ulimi yake ilikua imekatika so they had to do something with it. Alirudi kua mtoto tu from zero,” he said.
Baba Talisha said he faced financial challenges and initially struggled to balance work with caring for his daughter.
As if the accident was not tragic enough, some people started linking him to his wife’s death, with some claiming he had sacrificed her. “Some said that I sacrificed my wife; a lot ofthings were said; many people judged.”
He urged parents with kids who have conditions like Talisha’s to champion for their children, and not hide them from society.
“Niliamua sasa story ya Talisha vile imekuja tu hivo, I want to champion for her, and any other kid out here mwenye akona the same condition. Kuna wengine wali acquire through road accident, wengine through negligence…so we should stand up for these kids.”
