Forced to waka wit crutches afta dem shoot am five times during one attack by militant Islamists for one Kenyan shopping mall exactly ten years ago, Shamim Allu now don set herself di goal to climb Mount Everest.
“To get to Everest dey very big for me, really big,” di 61-year-old tell BBC.
“I dey go to carry my only message of peace and hope and courage and forgiveness if I get to Everest.”
On 21 September 2013, Ms Allu bin survive one of di deadliest jihadist attacks for Kenya history.
Masked and heavily armed militants from di al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group bin storm di upmarket Westgate mall for di capital, Nairobi, and occupy am for four days, for one assault wey make 67 pipo die and more dan 200 wound.
Dat time, Ms Allu dey work as presenter for one local radio station wey dey host children cooking competition for di mall rooftop. Around afternoon, dem here gunshots.
“E bin get one little boy. E just look scared sake of say di bangs dey come up closer and closer. I bin grab im hand and I tell am say: ‘Stay wit me’,” she remember, she add say di next tin she sabi, she don dey hit.
“I bin put my hand behind my back, and I notice say e dey wet. And as I look, I notice say I get great big hole for di top of my arm as well. And I tink: ‘Oh my God, I don dey shot’.”
Ms Allu bin get one bullet for ankle, two for di arm and two bin go through her back to her colon.
“I still remember di temperature and di smell clearly. E dey sharp, you sabi. E be like metal and na di smell of blood. Nothing wey prepare you for dat scene wey dey for front of you. Na just mayhem,” she tok.
Pipo bin fall on top each oda as dem dey push to try and escape. Seconds later, one grenade bin go off and di parts enta Ms Allu ankle and back. Di little boy die for her arms moments later.
She bin dey heart-broken, and scared.
“I bin turn my focus up on di trees. Trees bin dey behind Westgate. And I tink say if I dey look di trees and concentrate on di trees, I go dey able to take di strength from di trees and wait for help to come,” Ms Allu recall.
She bin dey rescued about four-and-half hours later by di security forces and di Red Cross, bifo dem take her to hospital – di start of one long and difficult recovery from di injuries and di trauma.
Ms Allu bin suffer from collapsed lung, and dey on crutches for two years. Some grenade parts still dey inside her back.
For 2018, she bin dey inspired by Chinese climber Xia Boyu, wey become di first double amputee to scale Mount Everest from di Nepal side of di peak.
She den decide to take up di challenge – both physically and emotionally.
“To try fit into laced shoes be di first challenge sake of say my foot no gree go in. I come learn how to fit am in. Di pain dey so much, but now I get goal,” she tok.
“I begin waka one kilometre wit plenti blisters and pain. And now, I tink say I fit do about 11 [kilometres].”
Di 61-year-old frequently dey climb Mount Kenya, Africa second highest mountain. E dey take her five to seven days, to reach di height of about 3,660 metres (12,000 ft) above sea level.
Na part of her training to climb about 5,300 metres to reach Mount Everest Base Camp for November. Dis one dey expected to take 15 to 20 days.
Ms Allu see scaling di world-famous mountain as opportunity to draw public attention to di importance of di environment.
“I hope say I fit tok about preservation of di environment sake of say na di trees wey safe my life dat day,” she add.
Ms Allu difficult journey to recovery na sometin wey Valentine Kadzo, anoda survivor of di attack, fit relate to.
Di mama of four bin dey work for one marketing stand for di ground floor of di mall wen di shooting bin start.
For di gbege afta, stray bullet hit Ms Kadzo as she take cover from di gunmen under her stand.
“I bin pray. I bin say di last prayer wey I hear pipo dey say. Den for di middle of dat prayer, I say: ‘No! I no dey die today’. I bin tell God: ‘If I come today, my children go suffer’.”
Ms Kadzo dey discharged afta three days for hospital. Despite say she receive counselling and trauma support, some wounds still neva heal.
“If I go to mall or any place wey I feel say dey closed, I dey need look for hiding place. Den I fit go siddon. E dey scary. E no ever be di same.”
Di attack also affect di families of di survivors. Many dey experience secondary trauma as dem see dia loved ones go through near-death experiences.
Ms Allu family no dey spared. Both her papa and sister bin suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as dem be her primary caregivers afta di attack.
“Dad bin go from extremely fit human being – na farmer e be, strong, active, nothing wrong wit am – to dey get PTSD. Im kidneys begin fail. Im blood pressure bin go out of sync, and dad don go.”
Only two pipo don dey convicted over di atrocity. Mohammed Ahmed Abdi gbab one 33-year prison sentence and Hussein Hassan Mustafa gbab one 18-year sentence say dem support and help terrorist group.
During dia trial, di state bin tok say na four militants carry out di attack, and find dem dead for di mall rubble.
To deal wit di trauma, Ms Allu start one initiative wey dem dey call Trees for Peace.
She don partner wit organisations like Rotary Club for her hometown of Nanyuki to plant trees across Kenya. More dan 5,000 don dey planted so far.
Ms Allu say e helep heal her wounds.
“Never give up and never be victim. Refuse to be victim,” di 61-year-old advise survivors of jihadist and oda attacks.
