“We Lost Everything After His Death”: Nurse Judy Recounts Family’s Painful Fall and Rise

Judy Wambui Maina is known to millions online as Nurse Judy KE. She is a high-achieving nurse now living and working in Los Angeles. However, her life began in a very different setting.

She was born in Kariandusi, a small village near Gilgil in Kenya. Recently, she shared the emotional story via her Instagram of how her family lost everything in the late 1990s.

A Family in Crisis

During her early childhood, Judy’s family lived comfortably. She describes them as being "kinda rich" for that era. This stability did not last. When Judy was between one and four years old, her father’s actions led to the family losing all their wealth.

The situation became dire in 1998. That year, Judy’s father passed away from HIV.

“When I was around 1–4 years, kidogo kidogo Dad akacheza vibaya and we lost everything... then we lost him too in 1998 to HIV,” she emotionally recalled.

At the time, the virus was a devastating crisis in East Africa. In 1998, the Kenyan government was on the verge of declaring AIDS a national disaster.

“Back when it was such a real and scary disease with no treatment. From there, life went downhill. But my mom? A real-life superhero,” she added.

The Hunger Years

The family struggled to afford basic necessities. According to her, there were days when they had to depend on their neighbours just to have breakfast.

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Judy recalls surviving on "strungi"—tea served without milk. The family also ate "ngunja matu" to stay alive. This was a mixture of maize flour and potatoes. It was designed to stretch a small amount of food into a meal large enough to feed the whole family.

A Mother’s Promise

In Judy’s village, education often stopped early. The standard path for girls was to finish primary school and then find work as domestic help in cities like Nairobi or Nakuru. Judy’s mother, whom she calls a "real-life superhero," refused to accept this. She was a dreamer who wanted more for her four children.

“She did EVERYTHING she could to see us through school. It wasn’t easy, basic things were a struggle. My mama was a dreamer. She used to tell us, “We might not have money, but that will NOT be the fate of my kids. I will make sure mtasoma na muende mpaka ‘murimo’” ('murimo' meaning abroad).”

The Road to Nursing

Judy’s mother worked with an HIV/AIDS organisation. This connection allowed Judy to get a sponsorship for high school in Nairobi. It was a significant milestone that changed her life's trajectory. After high school, she received further sponsorships for college.

The path was not without hurdles. Judy became pregnant at the age of 18. She initially hid the pregnancy, fearing she would lose her academic funding. However, her husband, mother, and mother-in-law provided full support.

When her child was one year old, Judy enrolled in the Nairobi Hospital School of Nursing. Although it was expensive, her family helped cover the costs that her sponsors would not.

Today, she is a mother of two and a successful professional, fulfilling the dream her mother had decades ago in the village.