29/04/2025
Beating the Odds: How a Brain Aneurysm Survivor Found Purpose at KMTC
By Mapesa Nelson: Organizational, Media, and Political Communication Strategist
“I lost the use of my hand, my job, and even my home, but not my will to live. When everything else disappeared, hope quietly remained. KMTC gave that hope a place to grow.” Samuel Kaboro Waweru
At just 35 years old, Samuel Kaboro Waweru is not just surviving, he is thriving. A man once confined by paralysis, hardship, and loss, Samuel has reclaimed purpose and dignity as a receptionist at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Kinangop Campus.
His journey is one of profound courage and the quiet power of institutional inclusion.
Samuel was only 25 when he left Kenya to work in Dubai, chasing the promise of financial independence through a job in housekeeping. Everything seemed to be unfolding as planned until the day it wasn’t.
What began as a relentless headache escalated into a medical emergency. After weeks in the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with a brain aneurysm, a silent, often undetected condition that causes bleeding in the brain and can lead to partial or full paralysis.
For Samuel, it was devastating. The aneurysm left his entire left side paralyzed. He lost his job, his mobility, his independence, and eventually, his home.
In 2013, Samuel flew to India for his first brain surgery, a high-risk procedure that landed him in the ICU. Six years later, the aneurysm returned, requiring a second operation. Two years after that, he suffered another bleed, his third major episode.
“The bleeding usually happens at night,” he recounts. “You wake up with a swollen face, a pounding headache, and no strength on one side of your body.”
With his mother deceased and his sister facing her own struggles, Samuel had no support system to fall back on. He faced homelessness, and his daily medication and diagnostic tests, like angiograms, were prohibitively expensive.
In 2023, while enrolled in a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) course, Samuel had an encounter that would change his outlook. He met fellow students living with disabilities—some in conditions more severe than his.
“Seeing others smile despite their pain helped me accept mine,” he says. “It changed everything.”
That new perspective ignited a renewed determination in him. Even as he continued to manage his condition, he set his sights on something bigger: reclaiming his place in the workforce.
In early 2024, just a month after his most recent surgery, Samuel received an invitation for an interview at KMTC. Despite being left-handed and unable to use his left hand, he showed up determined.
“Signing my name was difficult,” he says, “but I was determined to try.”
Samuel was offered a position as a receptionist at KMTC Kinangop Campus, marking a powerful moment not only in his life but in KMTC’s ongoing commitment to inclusion and empowerment.
“Getting a job with my condition wasn’t easy,” Samuel reflects. “But KMTC embraced me. They made inclusion more than just a word, they made it real.”
Today, Samuel speaks with humility and pride. Born in Gatundu South, Kiambu County, and the firstborn in a family of two, he has defied the odds to rebuild his life from the ashes of hardship.
“Thanks to KMTC, I’ve regained my independence,” he says. “I may not have a family behind me, but I’ve found one here.”
