Eight years ago, Allan Njomo was living at the Arlington Life Shelter with his father, Peter, and his brother, George. He was determined to find a better life for his family. He just didn’t know how.
Allan’s mother died in childbirth. His family hoped for a new start when Peter married an American missionary who brought them to the United States from their home in Kenya. Unfortunately, those dreams fell apart when the marriage didn’t last. Allan’s stepmother dropped the father and sons off at a church with only what they could carry.
“We ended up at the shelter, homeless, a very difficult situation,” Allan said. “But there were so many people there who helped us in any way they could, whether it was taking my brother and I to the park to play football or teaching us how to read. That experience is what made me able to do what I am doing today. For that, I am very grateful.”
What is he doing today?
On Friday, Allan is heading off to the University of Notre Dame where he has been accepted to study Public Health. The young man, who learned to manage his family’s finances at age 10 while his father worked long hours to put food on the table, asked for a meeting with
JPS Health Network President and CEO Robert Earley before he left. He hoped for a few words of advice as he charts his course to a career as a hospital administrator.
After the pair met, it was difficult to tell which one of them was more impressed with the other. Allan was honored that the leader of a hospital that employs 6,500 people and stays busy with 1.2 million patient visits per year found the time in his busy schedule to sit down with a teenager. Earley was amazed at Allen’s can-do spirit, finding ways to succeed in life instead of cursing his problems.
Allan shared during the visit that he didn’t know what career he planned to pursue until recently. While soul searching about his college plans, a fateful life event filled him with a sense of purpose. Allen said his grandfather, who had a lifetime of health problems and little access to care in Kenya, died there last summer after a lengthy stay in a hospital. After his grandfather’s death, the hospital presented Allan’s family with a $46,000 bill and refused to let it have the body until 80 percent of the balance was paid.
“When that happened I realized that I wanted to study healthcare administration to bring justice to the healthcare system,” Allan said, explaining that he wants to honor his grandfather by finding ways to bring excellent healthcare to people, regardless of their income. “I want to know if people are sick because they're poor, or if people are poor because they’re sick.”
Earley offered, when Allan was ready, to help the student meet his goals by introducing him to the internship and fellowship programs at JPS where he can see how the healthcare industry works from the inside out.
“Here, we see the other side of serving the people who have less,” Earley said. “We’re driven to the mission of the patient. We’re aware of the finances. But we’re also aware of the priority, and that’s that care comes first. Then we find a way to pay for it.”
Earley told Allen his best advice is to study hard – but to make time for fun and friendship, too.
“I hope you’re incredibly successful,” Earley told Allan at the end of their meeting. “And you’re always welcome back here. I hope you’re part of the next generation to provide care to the people we serve.”