A Nairobi woman, Pamela Aoko is appealing for help to remove a bullet she has lived with in her chest for 17 years.
Speaking to The Star newspaper, Pamela who resides in Lindi, Kibera, Nairobi County revealed her life changed on December 31, 2007, when the then-pregnant woman was shot in the chest during the post-election violence.
She narrated that she was hosting a ‘chama’ in her home, and she was waiting for her fellow chama members to come.
However, things took a different turn when a bullet pierced her left breast killing her unborn child and leaving her for the dead.
“In an instant, dust filled the air and I collapsed…When my neighbours found me later, I could feel the sharp pain and realised I had been shot. I lost my baby,” she recalled.
Experts call for enhanced care for blood disorders in East africa
She was rushed to hospital but was forced to wait for hours without treatment due to delay. Sadly, she couldn’t raise money for surgery which forced her to stay with the bullet to date.
She explains that the bullet in her body not only caused immense physical pain but also triggered health issues including thyroid problems, heart disease, and kidney issues.
The then businesswoman who worked hard for her family now depends on begging to raise her children as her condition can’t allow her to work anymore.
“Before this, I was a businesswoman,” she says as she fights back tears. “But now, I beg for food to feed my children.”
“I can’t eat, and if I don’t, I vomit blood…I take 37 pills a day just to survive,” Aoko says, her eyes filled with tears. “Without them, I can’t even walk,’’ she adds.
She is now appealing for help to raise her kids including paying school fees for her eldest child, who earned a B+ but is stuck at home due to fee challenges.
“Every day, I pray for a miracle. I just want to live. I want to see my children grow. I want to be there for them. Please, help me get this bullet out of me so I can move on,” she said.
Doctors say the bullet can be removed but only after her thyroid is treated. Yet Aoko’s blood count is dangerously low, at six pints, and the required surgery costs Sh2.5 million.
“I am appealing for help from fellow Kenyans. They can send any support to my number, 0715 688 977, under the name Pamela Aoko Ndhiwa,” Pamela added.
