Heroic Girl Rows Pregnant Mother Across Lake Victoria to Hospital at 3am
- Virginia Aoko said her mother, Judith Anyango Akala, woke her up at 3am on Tuesday, 18 May while in labour
- The heroine said her father had gone fishing in the deeper stretches of Lake Victoria so he was unavailable to help
- In a move that has left many in awe, the girl got her mother onboard a boat, grabbed a paddle and rowed her to the hospital
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A 12-year-old girl from Rukala village, Busia county, has become a sensation after courageously rowing her pregnant mother across Lake Victoria to a hospital late in the night.
Virginia Aoko said her mother, Judith Anyango Akala, woke her up at 3am on Tuesday, May 18 and the urgency in her voice prompted her to act fast.
Source: UGC
Speaking to Nation, Aoko said she thought her small brother, who had malaria, was convulsing or there was another emergency that required them to move from the camp they were staying after their home was submerged by the back-flow of water from Lake Victoria.
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With her father having gone fishing in the deeper stretches of the lake, the girl knew the fate of her mother's life and her unborn sibling lay in her hands.
In a move that has left many in awe, the girl, in the chilly darkness, asked her mother to board a boat, grabbed a paddle, and rowed her to the hospital. Said Virginia:
“I was worried that if I did not act fast enough, she might lose the baby and perhaps die from the labour complications."
With the water hyacinth, tangled reeds and foggy dawn weather, the determined girl rowed her mother the two-kilometre stretch to Rukala Health Centre.
She said the facility's nurses quickly responded and helped her mother deliver a baby boy safely. She added:
“I didn’t want to lose my mother and become an orphan. I also knew if I didn’t take the risk she might have lost the baby."
In a separate story, a woman was hailed as a hero after helping a lady in labour give birth on the side of the road. The distressed mom-to-be could not wait until the ambulance arrived as she was already in the process of giving birth.
Briefly News reported that a quick-thinking Sheree Paulin-Griesel happened to be at the right place at the right time.
Eddie Kirsten shared the story on the #ImStaying Facebook group. He applauded Sheree Paulin-Griesel for helping a pregnant woman give birth on the pavement in Three Rivers.
"Sheree from American Battery Company help delivered the baby before the ambulance arrived. The baby and mom are doing well."
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Phumzile Ngcatshe (Editor) Phumzile Ngcatshe is a staunch football fan and a lover of political and human interest stories. He launched his journalism career working for various community publications but eventually joined Goal.com where he worked until October 2020. In March 2021 Pumzile also started writing human interest, mainstream and sports news for Briefly News. Phumzile's love for writing saw him earn a national qualification in Journalism and Media Studies and a qualification in video and television production.
