Feb 20, 2018 at 08:04 am
Pay it forward...
Update posted by Sandra KekirungaSo I promised to share a bit more of Francis' story with his permission. The story of why he became a nurse is truly powerful and after hearing it I was certain that our paths crossed for a reason, I hope it inspires you as it did me.
When he was 4 years old, thieves broke into his family home demanding money. They had been tipped off that his father had been given money by the company he worked for to procure equipment the following day. When his father tried to object they attacked him. With his dad incapacitated they turned on his mum, demanding her to tell them where money was kept in the home, like his father she told them they didn't keep money in the house. Angrily, they proceeded to ransack the house until they found the money in question and stole various other items. Upon finding the money they were angered further by his mother for lying to them and proceeded to attack her repeatedly, eventually giving her a blow to the head with a panga (machete) and disappearing into the night.
Francis had to witness the traumatic incident at the tender age of four- his mum in a pool of her own blood crying out in agony. This site terrified him and would remain with him for the rest of his life. bleeding in a lot of pain and a pool of blood. His dad sprung into action and together they wrapped a cloth around the head to stop the bleeding while they made their way through the night and until dawn to the nearest hospital.
Amidst this chaos, his father had to report the incident to his work place and the police, who didn't believe him and he was arrested and accused of conniving with the thieves to steal company money. What ensued after was a truly difficult period for his family as you can imagine. As a result of the trauma he experienced and the inexplicable pain he witnessed his mum suffer he resolved to be either a nurse or a doctor. Circumstances beyond his control meant that he was unable to study medicine and so he determined to become a nurse in the hopes that he would one day be able to provide the care that his mother received and do anything to ease the pain of anyone suffering.