Little John Thuo is one of the many homeless youth living on the streets in Nairobi, Kenya. Street urchins in Nairobi are oftentimes looked down upon, seen as dirty beggars and pick-pockets, but John just proved that even a beggar, with the lowest social status possible can have a heart of gold.
One day, while John was asking for money from the drivers of cars stopped in traffic, he met a woman named Gladys Kamande. Gladys suffered with collapsed lungs causing shortness of breath. She constantly relies on an oxygen concentrator, oxygen cylinders, and a generator to breathe, carrying the supplies with her at all times.
Not only that, but the 32-year-old has gone through 12 surgeries; one surgery ruptured her optical nerve causing her to go blind.
Being a curious little boy, John asked what all of her gadgets were for. As she explained her situation to him, his eyes welled with tears. He began to cry, realizing that– as difficult as he life on the street may be– Gladys had it so much worse than him. He cried even harder as he realized there was nothing he could do for her.
John took Gladys’ hand and prayed that God would provide her all she needed for treatment. After that, he reached into his pocket and gave her what little money he had.
A passerby, struck by the little boys overwhelming emotion, took the above photo and shared the story on social media. A post that has now gone viral.
Since the story spread, generous strangers have raised over 3 million shillings for Gladys in just 4 days on a Kenyan fundraising site. The funds cover nearly half of the 7 million shillings she needs to receive treatment in India.
But that’s not the only good news.
Gladys has gotten John off the street, and the two are talking about getting John back in school. He said he is happy to attend… so long as he doesn’t have to go far away from Gladys,the woman he now considers his new mother.
