Living on a farm in Kiambu, we had no neighbors, so most of my days were spent playing with my younger brothers on the farm or hanging out with my mum in the house. Most of my days were uneventful. Then came Annie! I was 12 years old. At the time, she was my eldest brother’s girlfriend. And despite our huge age gap, we immediately became friends. After a few months of dating my brother, she became his wife, and what a joy that was for me!

She took me under her wing as her little sister and we did everything together. She brought so much color into my life. On Saturdays, she would take me with her to her office. I saw her work hard and rise through the ranks from a salesgirl to a marketing manager. She did it through diligence, excellence, and boldness.

She loved her family lavishly – she was a great wife to my brother and a loving mother to her two sons. I lived with them for a year and I remember thinking to myself, “This is a picture-perfect family, filled with love and adoration for each other.” Through her, I saw firsthand what a healthy marriage looks like and how a loving family interacts. One of the things they did together as a family was run. So every Monday, the whole family would go around Nairobi running with the Nairobi Hashers- a group of Kenyans who run together once a week. It was a great experience for me. Through her intentionality, Annie was the anchor of her family.

Annie lost a son when he was 2 years old due to a tragic poisoning accident. She was devastated. After the death of her son, she started questioning God and life itself. Through this, she became a Christian and started living as one. She plugged into her church and beautifully served it. She counseled a lot of women on marriage and mentored numerous young women. She was a delight to all and was unashamed about her faith. I saw what a difference she made in the lives of the women that she counseled, and I have now followed in her footsteps where I counsel young women as well.

In 2011, Annie was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer; my family was oblivious to the cruelty of cancer and so we did not know what to expect. However, Annie was determined to beat the disease. During the entire time that Annie was battling with the disease, she remained strong, happy and resolute. She clung strongly to her faith and never once did she seem angry or bitter. She remained positive until the end. Her strength and attitude never waned even as she started to lose weight and even when she had to cut her long locks as her hair fell off because of the chemo treatment, even when she had to go to India for an operation, even when her life revolved going to the hospital day in, day out, even when she was no longer able to speak and had to write down what she wanted, she remained strong and happy. I remember a week before she died, her greatest concern was her husband and sons’ welfare.

She is my hero because of her indomitable spirit, her love for God, her love for her family, her love for others and her excellence in everything she did.

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This story was shared by Joyce, Paukwa’s Administrator. She is eager to see the lives of women transformed by embracing the truths of God’s Word and believes that God is the best storyteller and we can trust him to write our story.