Do you ever wonder what your childhood friends are up to now? Did some of them become rich and famous? Did others move across the globe? What are they up to nowadays – are they doing okay?
For one woman, all of these questions were answered when she had an unexpected and surprising reunion with a childhood friend.
Wanja Mwaura, a nurse from lower Kabete, Kenya, was leaving the market when she “met this shaggy, dirty boy” who “called [her] by [her] name.”
Wanja was understandably shocked that this person knew her by name. At first, she thought he was a “mad person” until he began reminding her of their primary school days such as their classes and their friends.
Before long, Wanja recognized her old friend Hinga, and realized he wasn’t a “mad person”, but instead someone suffering from the effects of drugs.
The fact that Wanja was unable to recognize Hinga at first is understandable. With the busy antics of everyday life, it’s not unusual for names and faces to eventually fade after 10 or 20 years.
The last time Wanja had seen Hinga, he was a shining student and “one of the brightest boys in class,” she recalled.
But sadly, his life was full of struggle. After his grandmother’s death, he dropped out of high school and began living on the streets. Hinga eventually turned to drugs in 2004, as many homeless do to cope with the hardships of living on the streets.
At one point, Hinga told Wanja that he would do “anything he would come across” just to get high.
Wanja knew that she had to do what she could to help her old friend.
After catching up with him, Wanja helped convince Hinga to go to rehab.
He also shared with her that he had aspirations of going back to school one day. Wanja was determined to help him realize that goal.
As a nurse, Wanja knew that Hinga needed a strong support system to avoid a relapse. So she did what she thought was the best way to really help: she turned to social media to reconnect with other primary school friends and give Hinga the support system he needed.
She also gave Hinga her phone number with the assurance that he could call her anytime he needed her.
“It’s all about love,” she said. “If I didn’t show him love, he wouldn’t have gone to rehab.”
To show her love, she would eat from the same plate as him so that he didn’t feel like a reject.
Over the course of the next month, Wanja continued to look after and care for her old friend. And Hinga’s transformation over that time speaks for itself.
Hinga looks like a brand new man, and it’s all thanks to one selfless, caring woman who gave him a hand in his time of need.
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