You’ve probably heard countless stories about good Samaritans performing random acts of kindness for the homeless, but in this story the roles have been reversed.
John Thuo is one of the countless homeless children living in Nairobi, Kenya. He is easily dismissed as nothing more than a “street urchin” or “filthy beggar” by the citizens of Nairboi. Despite his humble status, little John proved to everyone that what he lacks in posessions he makes up for with moral fortitude.
Njogu Njoroge wrote about John on his Facebook page. The following excerpt has been translated and paraphrased into English,
Meet John Thuo, the homeless youth who broke down into tears after meeting Gladys Kamande.
The son of David Njoroge and (late) Mary Nyambura, John was one of three children. His parents marriage wasn’t so good, and his violent dad would frequently kick out his mother when he was drunk.
John moved onto the streets. His grandmother was already taking care of 6 other chilren from her other daughter who was also deceased. John and his six cousins were often mistreated by their uncles.
John had gotten used to his life on the streets, until he met Gladys.
While asking drivers stuck in traffic for a handout, John met Gladys Kamande. When he approached her car he noticed a bizarre aparatus attached to her neck. Suffering from collapsed lungs, Gladys struggles to breathe without the assistance of oxygen cylinders. She carries her equipment with her at all times. She has had 12 separate surgeries, one of which severed her optic nerve causing permanent blindness.
John, having never seen anyone in her condition before, was full of questions. Gladys wasn’t offended by the curious little boy and answered all of his questions. By the time she finished her story, John was in tears.
John was no stranger to adversary, but he had never seen someone face as much difficulty as Gladys. He wanted to do something for her, but realized he had nothing and could barely take care of himself. This only made him weep harder. Knowing there was nothing he could do, John asked if he could pray for her.
The noble little boy reached through the passenger window and took Gladys’ hand as he prayed. He reached into his threadbare pockets and gave her what little money he had picked up that day.
A bystander noticed what was happening and took the picture above. After posting it to Facebook, John and Gladys’ story went viral. Since their meeting more than 3 million shillings were raised for Gladys in less than 4 days on a fundraising site in Kenya. She needs 7 million to get treatment for her condition.
Gladys was so moved by John’s kindness that she took him in off the street. Currently the brave new friends are trying to get John back into the local school system. John thinks of Gladys as his new mother and together they’ve never been happier.