Welcome
to Friends of Sharon
SHARON BEFORE THE ATTACK
Sharon emigrated to the US from Kenya in 2006. Her vivacious personality and generous spirit attracted many friends, while her hard work in school earned multiple scholarships. In 2008, she attended The Girls’ Middle School in Palo Alto, CA on a full scholarship. At Mountain View High School, she participated in the AVID program, winning a full college scholarship from the Burwen Educational Foundation. In 2019, she graduated with a Psychology degree from California State Polytechnic University Pomona. While in Pomona, she worked with autistic children, both as an undergraduate and after graduation. She was also a talented singer/songwriter and musician, introducing music into her therapy with the children. Her positive energy and generosity gave joy to many people.
SHARON’S LIVING SITUATION
After the assault, Sharon’s mother Veronica had to quit her job to provide the full-time care Sharon needed. Although Veronica arranged to receive funds from the state for a portion of her caretaking work, for the last two years, Sharon and her mother have been largely dependent on Friends of Sharon for their financial support. They, and we, are grateful to have friends like you.
Now, with Sharon managing most self-care (dressing, bathing, etc.) and trips to rehab on her own, Veronica is able to consider going back to work part time. Veronica will take responsibility for her share of household expenses and Friends of Sharon will continue working to cover Sharon’s portion, as well as rehab, medical, and — ultimately — job training expenses. Our new fundraising target will be smaller, but no less needed and appreciated.
THE JOURNEY TO RECOVERY
Miraculously, Sharon survived the attack. Over a five-week period, Kenyan doctors were able to stabilize her condition, bring her out of the coma, and perform the complex surgery to repair her jaw. Moving to a rehab hospital in Kenya, she worked with therapists to begin re-learning how to speak, swallow, and feed herself. At the end of September, 2021, she was strong enough to be air transported on a gurney back to California, where she was hospitalized for an additional month.
Since October, 2021, Sharon has received ongoing care from doctors and rehabilitation therapists in the Bay Area. In addition to addressing remaining medical issues, the work has focused on mobility, improving right-side function and strength, and re-engaging cognitive skills. The process is long, but — characteristically — Sharon tackles it with grit and determination.
As of November 2023, Sharon is no longer confined to a wheelchair, using a walker for most journeys. She is slowly regaining use of her right arm and hand, and has improved her reasoning and analytic skills. She takes care of most of her personal needs and can help out a bit at home. She has recovered her sparkling personality (“I’m back!”) and her speaking voice has improved. However, her memory is impaired and she continues to work on both her endurance and right-side strength in her hip and core to reach full mobility.
Her spirit is strong; her body has a long way to go to catch up. See more of her story here.
“I WAS LEFT FOR DEAD BY THE SIDE OF A ROAD.”
In 2021, while visiting family in Kenya, I was viciously beaten and strangled by unknown assailants. They left me in a coma by the side of the road. I sustained terrible injuries, including a damaged windpipe, a badly broken and dislocated jaw, a collapsed lung, damage near my right eye, right-side paralysis, and traumatic brain injury.
I only survived through the kindness of lifelong friends and the financial support of donors in Kenya and America. I am thankful for all you have done for me. I work hard every day to recover from this attack, with the goal of reclaiming my life and my future.
— Sharon Wachuka
