Equity , diversity and belonging
As I look forward to the start of my occupational therapy journey in the profession , I am filled with so much joy , gratitude and resilience . And I am excited to continue learning as a newly-qualified occupational therapist , as I fully recover from brain surgery .”
Equity , diversity and belonging
Feature
As I look forward to the start of my occupational therapy journey in the profession , I am filled with so much joy , gratitude and resilience . And I am excited to continue learning as a newly-qualified occupational therapist , as I fully recover from brain surgery .”
my way and I was determined to persevere and come back to my second year of studies .
When I felt like giving up in my toughest year of study , I had great support and mentorship from my tutor Dr Blaine Robin . I learnt so much from his work as a social scientist ; understanding public health policies and exploring my identity and resilience as a Black student .
I took the opportunity to learn and reflect on my own path of overcoming the adversity of asylum seekers and refugees , through his work on occupational injustices – especially the concepts of occupational deprivation and marginalisation .
I was able to positively explore my own barriers to motherhood , parenting and identity , as I experienced a shift of cultural norms and traditions different to how I was raised in an African background .
Growing up in a single mother ( widowed ) household , I ’ ve learnt to ‘ mentally mature ’ faster than my age and build resilience and self-reliance to support my mother , together with my siblings , through a sewing business that provided financial source for school fees for my education up to my sixth-form study .
This instilled strong belief in myself around perseverance , despite the circumstances , and kept me going in my childhood .
I believe I carried this strength to my parenting as a young mother . However , moving to a different country and learning a new culture has been challenging , while facing social barriers in day-to-day life .
I have always looked after others . I am a ‘ doer ’ and I avoid relying on other people . Despite all
Above : Fungai Bvumbwe and her daughter Kayla-Jane
the challenges of my brain tumour diagnosis , I was intentional about my self-reliance and also learnt to focus on getting the right help that I needed .
Growing up , I remember my mother would always tell us ‘ rudo runotangira pauri ’ – meaning ‘ love begins with you ’.
In the words of my mother , it meant selfimprovement begins with you before you go to the next person . It is only when you understand the importance of your existence to the next person , you are then able to divert your energy to help others .
It is this belief that I feel drives my passion in paediatric occupational therapy and early intervention with children ’ s challenges , working with families .
As a student , my second year was the toughest . My health continued to decline , with more vision loss and headaches during postpartum .
The doctors couldn ’ t identify what was wrong with me , as my symptoms were overlapping with postpartum . I developed health anxiety , experienced panic attacks and was put on special medication , as it was affecting me mentally .
But I pushed through , as giving up was not an option for me . I also had support and mentoring from Dr Angela Murphy in my postpartum period , when I felt confused about my occupational balance – trying to juggle my studies , personal life and work as a mother of three children .
In all this , in the mix of fighting my health challenges , I understood her support in allowing me to be able to remain calm , pause , reflect
January 2025 OTnews 35