A Kenyan woman, Susan Njogu Eling has spoken about how she was ridiculed for her decision to marry a disabled Australian man.
Susan Njogu Eling three years ago married Philip Eling who was born with muscular dystrophy – a disease that causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.
Susan told the BBC that she was called a gold-digger for her decision to marry her husband after photos of their wedding were shared online.
The Kenyan first moved to Australia and enrolled for a diploma in working with the disabled.
She then applied for a job at Mr Eling’s workplace and was later asked out through email after her interview session.
Susan Njogu Eling said she and her husband exchanged contacts and later went out on their first date.
They engaged six months later and got married with their families approving of their marriage plans.
“They gave me their blessings at once. They were completely alright with our decision, and especially because they knew how passionate I was about helping the disabled. I was ecstatic,” she told the BBC.
She added that “Ours is a story of love at first sight. Nothing about him bothered me, especially because I had related with many disabled people while studying.”
Susan said “People said I only did it because I wanted to get money from him, but I sort of expected that reaction from them. I was very relaxed and prepared for it. I got comfort from knowing that our union was ordained by God”.
The couple have now celebrated their third wedding anniversary and Mrs Eling says the experience has been fantastic.
“Phillip takes care of me like any other husband would, and I take care of him too. People always assume that I am the one who takes care of him,” she says.
Source: Africafeeds.com
