A once troubled daughter of Kiambu, 61-year-old Dorothy Mwihaki is now living her American dream. She is the executive director at Progressive Home Health & Hospice, a very successful home health company based in Kansas, US.
She is a trained nurse who has lived in America for over 40 years since her arrival aged 21. Dorothy was brought up in a very humble family in Kenya where they lacked basic essentials such as food and clothing.
She is the eldest child in a family of 7 children. Therefore, she knew she had to find a way to grind to the top.
“I studied morning, at night, during the weekends …so I just knew at the back of my mind that education was gonna be my way out,” she reminisced.
Dorothy was a bright student who went on to score As in all her exams including the nationals which she completed at Njoro Girls High School. After high school, she knew she had hit a dead end considering her family’s financial situation.
Fortunately, Dorothy had an uncle who secured her a position as a Mail clerk at Barclays Bank. At 19, Dorothy had a job but her pay was used to sustain her family back home, as they had turned to her as the breadwinner.
“My little paycheck was not going far and I’d find sometimes by mid-month hata fare ya kuenda kazi sina,” she candidly spoke.
Dorothy knew her work potential. Her job as a Mail clerk didn’t feel challenging enough and she began looking for a way out of the country. She applied for scholarships and got into a Kansas college.
In college, she worked in the cafeteria and as a dormitory cleaner. She made enough money to purchase a car and live off campus, which was less expensive. While studying business in school, she took a CNA class to supplement her school fee payment. She was earning $3.85 an hour.
Through her CNA skills, Dorothy developed a passion for nursing. Later on, she opened her own nursing home in Wichita State.
In the US, Dorothy faced many struggles and in all, she had an ace up her sleeves. However, one imminent threat loomed over her head and she had completely forgotten about it; deportation.
I quit lucrative US Wall Street job for Dorper sheep farming in rural Kenya
After finishing school, she was approached by Department of State (DoS) officials who requested her to ‘self-deport’. She found herself with nowhere to turn unless she became an American citizen through marriage.
Fortunately at the time she was dating her husband, Mr. McPherson, who agreed to marry her. The threat of deportation subsided.
She could now continue with her career in the US. Dorothy began as a Registered Nurse before moving to Medical surgery.
Before long, in 1995, she established Progressive Homecare & Hospice with services such as home healthcare, rehabilitation, hospice, palliative care and personal care.
She has now employed over 75 people with expertise in nursing, home care and therapy. The bubbly entrepreneur is now a mother of 3 daughters and the face of her healthcare company.
