We are the brothers of Mangnezig. We are from the Masaii Tribe and our family raises cattle. Our family was herding our cattle across a stream during the monsoon. The fast water carried away one of our young cows. Mangnezig grabbed the cow by the tail to try and save it, but the cow and our brother were carried down stream. Our brother is very strong and he did not let go. When we found him, the cow was dead; both of Mangnezig’s arms were broken and most of the skin was missing from his back and legs.
When we brought Mangnezig to the clinic, the Doctors said they could not help him because he needed skin grafts. They told us that in three months American doctors were coming that could help him. We stayed with my brother to care for him and feed him until the American doctors came. We had to sell many of our cattle to pay for keeping our brother in the clinic.
When the American doctors came, they spent many hours cleaning Mangnezig’s wounds and operating to give him the skin grafts all over his back and legs. The doctors said that our brother was very brave and strong because he never complained of the pain and healed very quickly. The day the doctor’s left for America, my brother was able to lie on his back for the first time since he was injured.
We are grateful for the Surgicorps volunteers that came to help the Masaii. Before they left they gave us money to pay for some of our brother’s hospital cost so we will not have to sell any more cows.