Bound by tragedy and hope: 7-year-old bandit attack survivor finds an angel in hospital

While seeking treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital, he met a friend named Caroline Njambi, who was also going through a tragedy of her own. Caroline had survived a hit-and-run accident, which left her face disfigured.

Tied together by tragedy and hope, they share their heartbreaking yet inspiring story.

“On the day of the accident, everything was going well. In fact, I was getting ready for a promotion. At the end of the day, I headed home, and as I crossed the road, I was hit by a car. From there, I do not remember what happened. I recall people yelling, and that’s when I was informed that I had been hit by a car,” she recalled.

Njambi remembers that at Kenyatta Hospital, it took about three hours for her to get assistance because the doctors were shocked by her case.

“My entire forehead was disfigured, my nose was ruined, and I did not have tissues in half of my face,” she said.

After the surgery and treatment, when the bandages were unwrapped, the unfamiliar reality hit her. She could not recognize herself.

“I could not believe that was me, how life had changed,” she said.

At Kenyatta Hospital, she met a special friend who was going through a tragedy just like her. Then, Njambi’s mother befriended Ian’s mother while visiting her at the hospital. They would encourage and pray for one another.

“She told us that her son was in the Intensive Care Unit because of a gunshot wound to his face. When Ian left the ICU, I could not believe what that child was going through. We became friends. At first, Ian was feeding through pipes, but after a month, we started feeding him smooth food, and soon after, he began regaining his strength,” she said.

Bessy Kinya calls her son her little miracle. She recalls that this was not the first time bandits had attacked their homestead. On that fateful day, they attacked his grandmother, who was watching over him while his mother ran errands at the hospital.

“Ian witnessed the attack and started screaming out of fear. That’s when they shot him, changing his life completely,” she said.

The doctors advised that Ian needs surgery to repair the damage by working on his upper jaw, nose, and upper lip.

“We need to raise about three million shillings for him to get the treatment so that he can at least have a normal life and go to school,” she appealed.