Mr. Stephen Barasa, you have the disease” declared the doctor as I let his every syllable sink in. Which disease do I have sir? “Cancer”, said he, adding for good measure that it had already gotten aggressive (stage 4 with scans showing my back eaten up – top to bottom, chest area gone, prostate area, and more), and as such, time was not on my side. How long do I have to live, I heard myself ask feebly. “I am not God” was his not-too-neat reply. That aside, he had lots of helpful things to say.
I will never forget that day because when the lights eventually were out, everyone in their room and me in mine – alone, I broke into tears and cried all night. Why? God had let rapists, wife beaters, and murderers be and had instead allowed that I be killed! I had cancer. I was a dead man walking. The doctor had told me time was not on my side which meant I might be dead within days. Worse still, every verse in the Bible got cleaned out of my head. I couldn’t remember one verse under high heaven to lean on. It felt like God too had disappeared. That was back in 2018, slightly over six years ago.
Dancing in the Rain is the story of my recovery; a journey punctuated with pain, fear, and uncertainty but above all a journey where I experienced the love of both men, especially my wife, and God. I am glad I cried that night. I have never cried again and since I could no longer wish the cancer away, I had to stand up to it and fight to defeat it. I craned my neck, squared my shoulders, poked my finger right into the monster’s eye, and roared – ‘I am fighting back’. Early that morning I picked myself up, staggered to the bathroom mirror, and delivered some news – not to the devil but to the dude in the mirror. “I SHALL NOT DIE BUT LIVE TO DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD Psalm 118:17.” I continue to confess that verse and to celebrate God EVERY SINGLE DAY I WAKE UP. Yes, I do.
To those battling the same, even if as caregivers; there is life beyond the diagnosis.
Cancer is the rain; dancing is my victory over it in the name of Jesus.
I am called Stephen Barasa. I am a former tailor, wheelbarrow pusher, taxi conductor, and dancer for hire. I trained as a teacher of literature in English at Makerere University. I have been a hustler most of my life, doing my best to figure out how money is made with modest success – still trying, but relieved to be preacher first and tent maker last. I am married to Emily and we have seven children. I am born again and currently serve as lead Pastor of Deliverance church Kiteezi. I am also the CEO of Negonja Organics Ltd, an export-only fruit processing factory. I also sit on several boards. I have been active in the Christian publishing value chain for over twenty years; failing and succeeding in equal measure.
My first book The African Village Boy was published in 2018. In it, I tell how our mother, a single semi-literate mother of 12 managed to raise us and to see us through school up to university in the strange and far land of Kangulumira – far from our motherland Busia. The book focuses on inspiring the youth, especially those from poor backgrounds to not lose heart, simply because they were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth. It is a story of a journey from abject poverty to a descent station in life. It is very appropriate as a reader in schools upper primary and lower secondary.
My third book is coming. It is about the “Tribulations of Amateur Christian Self-publishers in Uganda”. I will never forget the day I sold my car to ghostwrite and print 10,000 copies for an ex-witch turned Pastor, whose story was in the news without ceasing. Print I did and at a crusade, he had anticipated hundreds of thousands, a handful turned up and I was lucky to at least sell 5 copies out of 10,000. There are lots more tribulations I know; having ghostwritten, edited, or co-edited upwards of 40 titles.
‘Bwana asifiwe’ (Praise the Lord).
