By the time Kymani Nichols was five, he had already suffered two strokes and had been admitted to the hospital on multiple occasions. Life has never been the same since.

“The only thing different with the first one (stroke) is he used to use the right hand to write and then him start use the left. But when him get the second one everything just gone — speech, him cannot walk, him cyaan do nothing for himself, him affi go back to pampers, baby bottles — nothing at all him can do for himself,” his mother Kayon Bowen told the Jamaica Observer in an interview.

“Nothing at all, not even fi sit up by himself. And even if him sit up and you try kotch him up, him kick kick till him just slide right back down,” she continued.

Kymani, 10, was born with sickle cell disease — a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body.

Just before his matriculation to primary school, the then toddler was prevented from continuing his education and now spends majority of his days in bed.

“We [used to] go everywhere, because me an him always spar,” Bowen said as she sighed. “We go everywhere but from the strokes we nuh go much places. Mi still bring him out but me affi push him inna wheelchair, she said.”

So close was their bond that while he attended the Escarpment Road Basic School, his mother found it hard to leave him daily. Instead, she would often wait by the school gate for over five hours until dismissal.

“Mi nuh mek him see me but me hide till the school over. Mi nuh go home, mi will tell him Kymani mi soon come me a go home go clean but me nuh go, me stand up a di school. Mi come out, mi deh cross di road an sit down a wait a one shed till the school over. School start 8 an done 1:30 an me deh deh. Me not leaving, me a sit down,” she told the

Sunday Observer as she laughed.

“Mi nuh have many friends an mi nuh really keep many friends but me always say me an mi son we always talk an as much as how him did small him can talk an up to this day mi lay down an watch cartoon wid dem, di two a dem cause me a cartoon person,” she said of her bond with her two children.

Though he doesn’t get as sick as before, Bowen outlined that he has a weak immune system and acute chest syndrome. In light of this, one of her greatest fears is having Kymani outdoors, especially when it is cold and in the company of sick children.

His condition and a lack of funds has blighted Kymani’s chances at improvement on multiple occasions.

“I was trying to get him into school but them don’t want to take him without the wheelchair…fi strap him up,” she told the

Sunday Observer. “Me did supposed to get one wheelchair fi him, the strap up one because him can’t [sit up]. Me did know somebody who did a sell a wheelchair fi $8,000 because dem di well want get rid a it. It’s not di strap up one but me buy it anyway an den mi did a try fi get di strap up one, but mi cyaan get it because that too expensive. Me did a look it up online; it’s about $30,000 for it an’ mi cyaan manage dat,” Bowen, the sole breadwinner for her household continued.

Kymani, according to Bowen, was to attend physiotherapy and speech therapy soon after his stroke, but that was short-lived as the funding was not there to support it.

“Me used to mek him do [physio] therapy every Friday till mi cyaan afford it no more. It was $15,000 per session…but we did work out a plan so we did ago pay likkle likkle. Him was supposed to do speech therapy. Him neva do it before, mi neva did a work, mi neva have no money, him neva do it before,” she told the

Sunday Observer, lamenting the expenses that comes with caring for her sickly child.

“Right now…mi want di best fi him, mi want him fi start go therapy. Mi would a really like if him can go di speech therapy because he’s never been there before an’ dem tell mi seh him was supposed to go there. And me would a want him start go school, an mi affi go have di wheelchair fi dat,” Bowen stated when asked what she wished for her son.

Despite what may seem a frustrating situation, Bowen remains hopeful and counts her blessing as they come. She told the

Sunday Observer that her common-law spouse Satchel Douglas has been a tremendous help to her and her son.

Douglas currently stays at home and cares for Kymani, whom he calls his stepson, his daughter, as well as his blind mother and grandmother.

“My mother was paying rent at that time for me an because him live in his own place him tell me seh, ‘look here it nuh mek no sense you mek your mother a stress fi pay di rent ’cause she affi deal wid Kymani so betta yuh come round a mi house come live so yuh nuh affi pay no rent’. So mi end up round there, him jus bring truck an move me out, mi nuh know when me a move. He’s the one who has been helping me a lot an’ him sit down an talk wid me. Me cry, him cry wid me so him an mi mother a big, big, big help,” said Bowen.

“Mi just start work but before nobody couldn’t get me fi go work an’ me nuh have nobody fi keep him (Kymani). An’ now me spouse just say, ‘Kay, di two a we cyaan deh home, me will keep di kids dem. Mi give thanks because is not fi him son an’ every evening when me go home him well clean an’ bathe an’ fed.”

Though not his biological child, Douglas told the

Sunday Observer he could not do anything but help care for the lad as he appreciates all Bowen has done for him.

“Yuh jus affi do it, enuh, ’cause she help me out a lot so me nuh mind doing it,” Douglas said.