Celebrating Peter at 35
It has been a journey — truly a long, long way we have come. Today, my heart is full of gratitude as we celebrate Peter’s 35th birthday. I am one proud and happy mom, and I don’t take this moment for granted. Please, friends, send me your positive vibes, because this celebration is more than a birthday — it is a testimony.
I still remember walking almost three kilometers to take my sick baby to the dispensary. The triage nurse, after scanning me, whispered, “huyu mtoto hawezi pona” — meaning, “this child cannot make it.” Peter had everything in the ugly book of childhood diseases — constant runny nose, chest infections, skin problems. Even a close relative once told me it was a waste of food to feed him. Those words cut deeply, but they became my fuel.
When you live with HIV, especially in those days when there were no mother-to-child prevention services, hope was fragile. Many times, I cried out to God — “Really Dad, where are You?” — not knowing He was walking with me all the way.
Today, I look at Peter, and I see living proof that no one should ever conclude another person’s story without consulting the Maker. From the child who “couldn’t make it,” he has become a strong man — a reason for endless celebrations.
To every parent holding a child with health struggles: don’t give up. Only God has the authority to put a full stop.
So today, with humility and happiness, I say: Happy 35th Birthday, Peter. We celebrate you and the journey you’ve taken.