After retiring from rugby, Dennis Ombachi, also known as the Roaming Chef, faced a period of depression, as revealed in an interview with the Daily Nation.
During the interview, Ombachi disclosed that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder following a suicide attempt in 2018.
Recalling the incident, he shared, “I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after I attempted suicide. I had an attempt on my life, but my friends got to me in time. Hike Otieno called another friend, Kevin Okeyo, and G-Money.”
Grateful for his friends’ intervention, Ombachi explained that they took him to a psychiatrist, leading to a two-week admission where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Prescribed medication and undergoing therapy, Ombachi admitted to initial hesitance. He struggled with consistency during the first year, frequently slipping back into depression.
During this challenging time, Ombachi’s girlfriend was expecting their first child. Frustrated and not in the right frame of mind, he attempted suicide again while working on the balcony with tiles.
Recounting the incident, he said, “I just took a tile, broke it, and used it to slit my wrist. There was blood all over the house. My girlfriend was expectant, almost going into labor, yet she was the one supposed to drive me to the hospital.”
The result was 39 stitches on his wrist, a moment he finds hard to forgive himself for, acknowledging the selfishness of his actions.
After this second suicide attempt, Ombachi decided to turn his life around. He committed to consistent medication and therapy, recognizing the significant role therapy played in his recovery.
“Medicine will help you, I will say 25-50 per cent, but 75 per cent is therapy. You have to understand all your traumas,” he emphasized, reflecting on the importance of addressing underlying issues through therapeutic intervention.
