By Juli McGowan Boit | Published: September 28, 2013
Written in June, 2013 by David Tarus, Community Leader and Chairman of Living Room International Kenyan Board
William Mberu Odumba
1983 –2013
Guest at Living Room: March 13 – May 3, 2013
On a Tuesday morning in the month of March 2013, I met a young man named William at Kimbilio Hospice. As a believer and supporter of the sacred work of Living Room, I enjoy visiting to see how the vision is continuing to be carried out. My usual routine is to go through each room and greet all of the patients. That morning, I somehow ended up getting stuck in the first room I entered where I met William. Our short greetings turned into a one hour conversation during which my heart was moved—tears welling up in my eyes several times as I listened to his difficult journey over the last few years.
Thirty year-old William was a plumber from the town of Homa Bay in Western Kenya—a five hour drive from Kimbilio Hospice. He was working on the east coast of Kenya when he became sick and began being treated for several diseases. When none of the treatments worked and his health continued deteriorating, he moved back to his home (clear on the other side of the country) where he was taken to a larger hospital. The pattern continued—receiving many different types of treatments as the doctors were not sure what condition he was suffering from. William became tired and frustrated of moving back and forth with no improvement. His doctor finally referred him to a hospital in Eldoret (five hours away), where more tests were done and they finally discovered that William was suffering from cancer. Upon this discovery, William was released from the hospital and told to go back home; after which he continued to be tossed back and forth between different hospitals while his condition continued to worsen.
After relaying to me the saga of being in and out of several hospitals all over the country of Kenya, William’s eyes lit up when he began to tell me of his journey to Kimbilio Hospice. By the time William’s cancer was diagnosed, it had spread throughout his body; leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and in desperate need of palliative care. After a long stay at a hospital in Eldoret, he was told that there was a place they wanted to take him—Kimbilio Hospice. Several thoughts and questions went through his mind: Where is Kimbilio Hospice? Why should I go to yet another hospital? After some explanation, William hesitantly agreed to try out Kimbilio. This is what he shared with me about his first impression of this place: “As we travelled from Eldoret town to Kimbilio Hospice, I had many doubts. Where are we going? Driving on the bumpy dirt roads coming inside the village, I didn’t know where we were going; and I couldn’t imagine that such a place could exist in the middle of nowhere. I was so surprised. But even more than that, once we arrived and I was transferred to my new bed, I was completely amazed. I was able to sleep peacefully and with great comfort. I was amazed with the care I was given. Everyone is too friendly—turning me, changing my clothing, bathing me, listening to me…immediately I began to feel hope again. A different kind of hope. I had come from a big hospital in a large town, but it cannot be compared with Kimbilio Hospice.”
As I sat with William, he could not stop sharing about Kimbilio. “I have seen God in this place. All my hopes are in Christ. I am not blaming God in anything; if it was not Him, there is no way I could reach here—from Homa Bay up to Kimbilio? A distance of 150 miles! I know God cares because he organized for me a place, far from home, but I feel closer to family. My soul is being ministered to, people are coming to pray for me, talk to me. I am feeling loved. I sat in the hospital until I felt so alone. In this place, I am feeling that I am not alone. If God is not in this place, I don’t know what else I can say. I am grateful. I know what disease I have and I am hoping that God can do a miracle.”
On May 2nd I went to William’s room one more time to say goodbye as he was leaving Kimbilio the following day. After spending two months here, he and his family decided that he needed to be closer to his family and his home. Besides continuing to speak words of thanksgiving to God and praises of the care and love he had received at Kimbilio, the most urgent words out of his mouth were: “Don’t forget Patrick.” You see, during his stay at Kimbilio he and his roommate, Patrick, had become great friends. It struck me that instead of saying, “Don’t forget me,” he chose to advocate for his friend, Patrick. Patrick remains in our care at Kimbilio; and we have not forgotten him.
On May 20th the staff at Kimbilio received the following message: “God’s wish has been done in our friend; my brother William has just passed on some few minutes ago. Thank you for everything that you and your organization have done to try and make his life long and peaceful.” To all who continue to support the work of Living Room through your prayers and giving, we echo the words of William’s brother and also say, “thank you.”
William is worth running for
This entry was posted in Blog. Bookmark the
permalink. or leave a trackback:
Trackback URL.
Category: Blog
Tags: No tags yet.
