In some of the hardest points of my journey, I have needed to remind myself that God has a plan for me. This has helped me face some of the darkest moments when all hope seemed lost.

Here’s my story.

My background

I live in Nairobi, Kenya. I studied Business Management and Administration, and I was supposed to graduate in 2022. But then something unexpected changed my plans.

As I was on my way to school one day on a public transportation minibus, locally called a matatu, I hit my left knee sharply on the seat. It was very painful and began to swell. The pain went away eventually but the swelling persisted.

About nine months later, the knee grew worse. It felt hot, like there was inflammation and it would grind when I would try to run. It was very painful.

I started to realize that my body was telling me that something was not ok.

Surprising news

In September of 2021, I went to a doctor and got an X-ray, and he suggested I get a biopsy.

The results showed I had stage 2 cancer, specifically osteogenic sarcoma. Cancer does not run in my family, so this was something completely new for me. I was just 20 years old.

From the start, the doctor said that my diagnosis was not a death sentence, but that our country was not equipped to deal with treatment that does not include amputation.

Hearing that I had cancer and would need an amputation was so hard. I cried the whole journey from the hospital back to home.

Sitting with difficult questions

Everything started happening fast. I realized it was too difficult to juggle cancer and school—I was not in the right headspace—so I dropped out before the final exams. Not long after, I started chemotherapy.

I was so scared. Questions and uncertainty loomed over me. What I feared most was the unknown. How will this affect my future? Will I even live?

I had to sit with these hard questions for a long time.

How I found hope, strength, and peace against cancer

One thing that has helped me when facing challenging circumstances is to try to live each day one at a time.

My relationship with God also helped me find hope. I grew up in a family that went to church, but attending an all-girls boarding school is where I learned about prayer and talking to God. Going through cancer has strengthened my faith and taught me endurance and perseverance.

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’” declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

I would need these hopeful words for all that lay ahead for me, especially with surgery.

God has a plan 

My left leg was amputated in March of 2022. It was a lot to adjust to, but somehow, I felt peace. I remember praying, “God, I will trust you to provide another leg.”

After surgery, I had to get more chemo. I wasn’t going to school, and I was struggling. I also faced issues with my hand, due to chemotherapy leaking into my tissue, which landed me back in the hospital.

Around that time, I remember seeing a WhatsApp conversation from some of my friends from college. Some were graduating, and I wished them “congratulations.” But after I finished scrolling, I remember thinking, “Everyone’s life is moving on, but nothing is happening with me.”

I started crying. But then I remembered the words from Jeremiah: that God has a plan for me. I started saying this repeatedly, turning my words into prayers. There was something powerful about speaking it and manifesting it. It’s like my heart began to catch up to my head and I truly believed it.

Clearing away bad theology

Sometimes growing up in a country where Christianity is the major religion has its own challenges. A few people told me that getting cancer was the work of the Devil, which bothered me.

I thought, “Why can’t this just be God doing his own thing? Why can’t it somehow be part of his plan?”

Clearing away this bad theology helped give me hope.

Close to home 

Another way that God gave me hope was through a story. Last summer, I was reading the Bible App when a story popped up called, “A Door of Hope,” about girl from Zimbabwe.

The story felt very close to home. I clicked and read every word. The girl, named Wadzanayi Mayiseni, had the same type of cancer, an amputation, and she went on to do great things, including attending an Ivy League school in the U.S. and starting a nonprofit. I enjoyed hearing her perspective, and I related to her so much.

At this point in my journey, I was lacking motivation. I had returned to college, but it was difficult to stay focused after all I had been through. This story awakened something in me. It gave me the push I needed to keep going, to reach for more in life. To truly believe that God has a plan for me.

The rest of my story

In the summer of 2025, I remember praying and telling God I was tired of using crutches. I had visited a prosthetic clinic a few years ago about getting a limb donated, but I never heard back from them.

A few days after praying, I got a call from a doctor at the clinic who told me they received the funding and they gave me a new leg. Adjusting to the leg has been an interesting journey, but I am so thankful for the opportunity. And I know God answered my prayer.

In November of 2025, I finished college. But I’m not done yet. I plan to attend graduate school and study development management. In Africa, we have the resources we need, but we lack the policies, strategies, and accountability to move ahead. It starts by improving this at the community level, and my dream is to help in this space.

Recently, I’ve started volunteering for Six Bridges Foundation, an organization that helps bridge the gaps in cancer care for needy and underserved Kenyans.

I serve as the National Coordinator, working to ensure people have access to cancer treatment and essential emotional, social, and material support. Additionally, I manage hospital transport for their appointments and oversee the smooth running of our outreach programs. I am so thankful to serve in this way.

A new perspective

Cancer has changed my perspective in many ways. I don’t take for granted the small things, like being alive or something as simple as being able to swallow, and I’m so thankful for my friends and family.

When I wake up in the morning, I often say, “I’m still here. So God must not be done with me yet.” Every day is another opportunity to live the plan he has for me.

Advice for others

Love and accept yourself. There were times when I could not look at myself in the mirror because of how cancer was changing me. But learning to accept yourself, especially because God loves you, helps you love and accept others.

You are not alone. Other people are going through this, and cancer is not always a death sentence.

Don’t downplay your suffering. Don’t downplay your pain. Know that you are not sick because you did something wrong.

God is there. Let God encourage you in every circumstance. God has a plan for your life—he will give you a hope and a future. Like he is doing for me.

 

For more about how to unlock God’s plan for your life, see Knowing God Personally.

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