Peter

One of the nicest, funniest and most caring people I have ever met is a 13-year-old boy who lives in Nairobi. I met Peter back in 2007 when he first came to live at Cheryl’s Children’s Home. When he first arrived he couldn’t speak a word of English let alone any Swahili. When I returned in 2008 he was the comedian of the home. Everyone wanted to be around him and when you would spend time with him you knew there was something special about him. When I went back in December of 2009 I couldn’t have been more excited to see “my” kids again. As soon as I saw Peter I knew there was something wrong. He had a tumor that was getting bigger each week on his forehead. At first no one seemed to know what it was or what to do about it but when the final diagnosis came back it was non-Hodgkin lymphoma and he started chemo treatment right away. I had the privilege of living with him for 8 weeks and becoming very close to him and one of the older buys from Cheryl’s, James, who was also helping to take care of him. The two of them became like brothers to me. If they needed anything, I would have done it for them. 

Two weeks ago I received devastating news. Peter’s cancer had come back and the doctors said that if they were to do another surgery there was only a 2 in 10 chance he would survive longer than 2 years. The doctors and the caregivers at Cheryl’s have decided to try to have him enjoy the time he has left with his friends and “family” from the home. I could not remember a time where I have been more upset to receive news than when I read about this. I just started crying and I was not myself throughout the day. Whenever I start to think about it I get upset and angry and start to question everything. Besides being so close to Peter and caring about him so deeply, I have never known someone young to die. I can’t imagine what he is going through. I wish so badly to go back to see him before he gets much worse but I don’t know if that will be possible because it is so expensive and I wouldn’t have nearly as much time as I would want to have with him. But seeing him before it is too late-that is what I would love more than anything. He will always have a special place in my heart long after al of this has passed. If you could meet him, you would understand why I feel this way. 


To read about the time I spent with James and Peter, you can read some of my posts from last year.