The Courage of Kennedy Ng’ang’a BY FREYA PRUITT I will begin this article, by asking a simple question: Did you all have a good night’s sleep? Were you warm and comfortable? Did you feel safe in your bed while your family was toasty warm in their beds? Or: did you fear the night? Did you fear that rats would come into your home and invade your space- would they bite you- would they steal what little food you had? Did you fear for your kid’s safety- for their health- for their very lives?! You are probably asking is this woman nuts!? Well dear ones, the answer would be a resounding yes! I am nuts over Kennedy Ng’ang’a’s horrible living conditions and the state of the “façade” he calls a life. What this man has to endure each and every day is un-conceivable to Americans. We complain about the silliest things: We complain about not having a new car, not having enough money, not looking young enough, not being thin enough, not being CEO of our own company, or the greatest challenge of all; not being able to go to Neiman Marcus on a regular basis! My God people! Americans have NO CLUE what suffering is! We were hit on 9-11 and lost thousands of people in the first attack on American soil in the history of the world! But do we really REMEMBER that horrific pain in the pit of our stomachs? Do we remember the smoke, the death, the suffering, and the enormous loss to the families left behind? No- I don’t think so. We have all just continued on in our own numb ways; texting, tweeting, climbing up the corporate ladder, chasing money, chasing youth….chasing more money… chasing…. Chasing. Chasing…. virtually nothing. Well my friends, this is your wake-up call! If you want to discover what real integrity and heart is allow me to introduce you to Kennedy Ng’ang’a of Kenya, Africa. I met this man through Face-book (Yes, there is a good side to social media!) Somehow he found me buried deep in a sea of media in-between people posting about their day and dating challenges. He had read TTW and was reaching out to a person with a heart for humanity. He wanted nothing but to share his paintings with me. He mentioned he was a level C3/4 quadriplegic and was totally reliant on his beloved Mother for absolutely everything. He really never made a big deal out of his condition- it was just the way life was for him. For ME on the other hand, it took awhile to sink in that ALL of his care, food and lodging were provided by his Mother. I was stunned to learn that Kennedy has not once left his house in over 20 years: HE HAS BEEN IN BED SINCE 1992! He has only gained some power on the hands for the 20 years but still has no grip in him fingers. He lives in a hut with a dirt floor, no running water or electricity. His Mom was his lifeline, his rock, and his very breath. When his beloved Mother passed away last year, he was faced with no one helping him with his personal care. He was left alone- totally alone! My God! Who was going to feed him- who would care for his physical, mental and emotional well-being? His mother had not shown anyone else in the family how to assist him with his personal care needs. His mother was not only a caregiver but she was a warrior who would stay awake all night using a stick to bang and scare the rats away. She would keep the lantern lit at night hoping to scare them off- or anyone else who was a threat to their safety! Her only rest came when Ken would be awake during the day. But the truth is, she never really ever slept…rest was not in her daily agenda! To truly understand the severity of Ken’s situation, one must understand the needs of a quadriplegic. There are so many daily care needs that are essential for simple survival. Someone has to bath him, handle the bowel care and of course cover the basics such as food, water and shelter. Kennedy has no electricity or running water. Eight years ago someone gave him a computer and a cell phone, which have to be charged at a neighbors house- of course for a fee. There’s no place
Transcript
Mombasa, Kenya
A f r i c aThe Courage of Kennedy Ng’ang’a
BY FREYA PRUITT
I will begin this article, by asking a simple question: Did you all have a good night’s sleep? Were you warm and comfortable? Did you feel safe in your bed while your family was toasty warm in their beds? Or: did you fear the night? Did you fear that rats would come into your home and invade your space- would they bite you- would they steal what little food you had? Did you fear for your kid’s safety- for their health- for their very lives?! You are probably asking is this woman nuts!? Well dear ones, the answer would be a resounding yes! I am nuts over Kennedy Ng’ang’a’s horrible living conditions and the state of the “façade” he calls a life. What this man has to endure each and every day is un-conceivable to Americans. We complain about the silliest things: We complain about not having a new car, not having enough money, not looking young enough, not being thin enough, not being CEO of our own company, or the greatest challenge of all; not being able to go to Neiman Marcus on a regular basis! My God people! Americans have NO CLUE what suffering is! We were hit on 9-11 and lost thousands of people in the first attack on American soil in the history of the world! But do we really REMEMBER that horrific pain in the pit of our stomachs? Do we remember the smoke, the death, the suffering, and the enormous
loss to the families left behind? No- I don’t think so. We have all just continued on in our own numb ways; texting, tweeting, climbing up the corporate ladder, chasing money, chasing youth….chasing more money… chasing…. Chasing. Chasing…. virtually nothing.
Well my friends, this is your wake-up call! If you want to discover what real integrity and heart is allow me to introduce you to Kennedy Ng’ang’a of Kenya, Africa. I met this man through Face-book (Yes, there is a good side to social media!) Somehow he found me buried deep in a sea of media in-between people posting about their day and dating challenges. He had read TTW and was reaching out to a person with a heart for humanity. He wanted nothing but to share his paintings with me. He mentioned he was a level C3/4 quadriplegic and was totally reliant on his beloved Mother for absolutely everything. He really never made a big deal out of his condition- it was just the way life was for him. For ME on the other hand, it took awhile to sink in that ALL of his care, food and lodging were provided by his Mother. I was stunned to learn that Kennedy has not once left his house in over 20 years: HE HAS BEEN IN BED SINCE 1992! He has only gained some power on the hands for the 20 years but still has no grip in him fingers. He lives in a hut with a dirt floor, no running water or electricity. His Mom was his lifeline, his rock, and his very breath. When his beloved Mother passed away last year, he was faced with no one helping him with his personal care. He was left alone- totally alone! My God! Who was going to feed him- who would care for his physical, mental and emotional well-being? His mother had not shown anyone else in the family how to assist him with his personal care needs. His mother was not only a caregiver but she was a warrior who would stay awake all night using a stick to bang and scare the rats away. She would keep the lantern lit at night hoping to scare them off- or anyone else who was a threat to their safety! Her only rest came when Ken would be awake during the day. But the truth is, she never really ever slept…rest was not in her daily agenda!
To truly understand the severity of Ken’s situation, one must understand the needs of a quadriplegic. There are so many daily care needs that are essential for simple survival. Someone has to bath him, handle the bowel care and of course cover the basics such as food, water and shelter. Kennedy has no electricity or running water. Eight years ago someone gave him a computer and a cell phone, which have to be charged at a neighbors house- of course for a fee. There’s no place
to cook food except outside on a fire. There are HUGE rats that bite Kennedy at night! He wakes up in small pools of blood. He could easily contract numerous forms of diseases from the rat bites alone. Kennedy needs a doctor to come to his home to check his lungs as he’s had a cold recently and his feet need care where the rats have bitten him and caused an infection. But this is Kenya people! This is a quadriplegic gentle man lying by himself who cannot pick up the phone and call an ambulance. He just lies there and prays; prays that his dear Mother was still by his side.
How are you feeling right now? I know I feel about the size of a pea! How could my problems possibly compare to this mans? I know all challenges are relative, but I don’t think most Americans could possibly imagine living like this. At the very least, Kennedy needs a personal care attendant and he needs one now! His little brother Athman has been helping Kennedy as much as he can, but like most young brothers, he would rather be outside being a kid, which, of course, makes Kennedy feel guilty so he waits until the last minute to ask for help. This lack of treatment and care compounds the problem by creating a horrible condition for his skin care: A bedsore alone could take his life! Kennedy has not seen a doctor since he left the hospital 2 years after breaking his neck. He says his mother kept him healthy by feeding him garlic. Kennedy actually lay in bed for eight years before someone brought him a wheelchair. I don’t know about you, but I would go insane if I could not feel the sun on my face each day! No matter what challenges I may have, the truth is I sleep in a warm bed at night and have no fear of rats biting me at night! I have decent housing, electricity and running water. To say this man needs better housing is an understatement! I’m sure we couldn’t imagine waking up in pools of blood each morning because we could not feel the rats biting at our feet in the night. Kennedy has no feeling in his legs so he has no defense and has to live with infected feet that could cause horrendous disease. Losing his Mother was like losing his life. But that didn’t keep Kennedy down! This miraculous man always has a smile on his face- he is always painting- always caring about others in his village. In fact, he was so concerned about other people in his community that he set up a fund in his mother’s name to help people in need. These funds are managed by the local church and dispersed as needed. Yes- Pay-pal even reaches Africa! It is dangerous to keep any form of cash in one’s home for fear of robbers coming in the night.
Kennedy is completely defenseless. But he may be defenseless in his body but certainly not in his mind or in his faith in God. This is a man filled with The Holy Spirit. You can see it in his eyes and feel it in his paintings. I can feel him coming through the computer when he writes me. He is so precious; he always refers to me as “Queen Freya.” I just smile and know he will never stop…that is his way of conveying respect and love. My angel….I want so desperately to help him. I feel God gave him a talent as a painter to bless people through his art. I believe God gave me the gift of a magazine and the heart to use it wisely. Transforming Today’s World is exactly what it says it is: A transforming vehicle used to help others through the written word and the media. This is where my heart shines and my soul is happy. The most powerful thing I can do for humanity is give people a voice!
Now I need our readers to step up to the “voices” that call out of the darkness and apply the light of kindness and love to their need.
Please TTW readers: “We Flip People” is our own personal foundation of the heart. America is the richest country in the world, yet many people seem to be more concerned about their own welfare and economic condition that they have lost sight of the suffering and needs of other people. The simple truth is- Need is need. It doesn’t matter if it is in Kenya, India, America or Japan. Join me in making a difference by BEING the difference! We are trying to build a bridge of communication that links all people of the world together through the honor of love. It doesn’t matter what color you are, what car you drive, what country you are from or what economic condition you are in. The love of God is waiting to come through your hearts and souls. Consider it an honor to give: One day, you might just need some help yourself!
Kennedy is not asking for a hand out. He has painted some wonderful artwork that you can buy on-line. Kennedy just needs a break and he needs it NOW!!! STAND UP AMERICA LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!! Reach out and change a life. You will bless yourself by blessing others. You can do it!!! Do it now!! Make God smile, dear ones….make… God… smile!
MY DREAMA personal note from Kennedy
My dream is having a safe, decent, and independent life while surviving my extreme disability, and to prove to the world that my disability is only a different kind of ability. I also dream of restoring hope to others that may be going through similar conditions as mine and to orphans, etc. through my dear late mum’s foundation.
