Healing the scars within, the story of Bravin Yuri
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"I rarely open up. I have never talked about my traumatic story. I guess it’s mostly because every time I talk about it, it’s like reliving the experience and every inch of the pain suddenly comes back to life. It’s weird but I always get watery eyes any time I think of even telling the story, so I don’t." We give him time to regroup as he gathers his thoughts.
"I guess this is the day to finally tell my story," he adds. Yuri describes himself as an introvert and a phonophobic (one who gets extremely anxious due to loud noise). Back then as a first year student in campus, he would spend holidays at his elder sister's place. On the fateful day, he boarded a bus to Mlolongo along Mombasa Road to visit his other sister. After an hour or so, he alighted and headed to the sister's place and got there moments later to a warm welcome. The rest of the day saw them catch up and in no time, they retired to bed.
But as fate would have it, Yuri received a call from the elder sister who lived in Eastlands at the time. She was back home (earlier than usual). He quickly got ready and made for he bus stop since he had the house keys with him. The next couple of hours however turned for the worst. "As I waited for the bus, I got hit by a metal rod. I remember trying to stand up but I kept falling down. I felt lost for a while.
When I gained consciousness, I felt a sharp pain in my mouth. My tooth was broken from the attack. Blood was oozing from my neck too since the assailants had stabbed me," Yuri says. A doctor's report would later reveal that the knife missed the jugular vein, which primarily drain blood from the brain and the neck area, returning it to the heart.
Passersby did nothing to help. As he crawled in a bid to find help he would hear all sorts of comments. "Huyu hatafika. Atakufa tu" (loosely translated to 'he will die'). Members of a nearby church who were holding a vigil came to his aid and he was rushed to Shalom Hospital next to the Kitengela interchange. It took him months to recover. The scars he bears live to tell their own story. His tooth got fixed, he says thanks to doctors at Arrow Dental Centre. But the scars within have long been a part of him.
"Since the incident, I do not stay out late. I am too cautious of my surrounding and using public means is not easy for me. Any loud sound triggers memories of the attack. A balloon bursting, a banging door...anything loud, literally," he tells us.
Emerging from the shadows of the dark memories of the attack, Yuri hopes that those who have gone through traumatic experiences are able to heal by seeking guidance and counseling from mental health experts. From time to time, he leads sessions on mental health through his social media channels. Optimistic that a life will be changed somewhere. If not today, tomorrow.
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