Kenyan Nurse in US Goes Viral for Saving Colleague's Life During Hospital Crisis

Country: United States
Date Published: January 17, 2026

NAIROBI – A Kenyan nurse working in New York has captured global attention after a heart-pounding video of her performing emergency CPR on a collapsing colleague went viral on X, amassing over 2 million views in under 48 hours. Posted by verified user @NYCHealthWatch on January 17, the clip shows Mercy Wanjiku, a 32-year-old nurse from Nairobi now based in the Bronx, springing into action amid a chaotic hospital shift during a winter flu surge. "She's a hero from Kenya saving lives in America – diaspora pride!" tweeted @KenyaDiasporaHub, sparking thousands of shares and replies from Kenyans abroad celebrating her quick thinking.

The incident unfolded at Montefiore Medical Center, where Wanjiku, who emigrated three years ago via the H-1B visa program, was on night duty when a fellow nurse suffered a cardiac arrest. Drawing from her training at Kenyatta National Hospital, Wanjiku administered CPR for over five minutes until paramedics arrived, crediting her success to "the resilience we Kenyans carry everywhere." X users, including influencer @Africandoc_ with 150k followers, praised her: "Kenyans abroad aren't just hustling; we're saving the world. #MercyWanjiku #KenyaPride." Discussions flooded with stories of other Kenyan healthcare workers in the US facing burnout but stepping up, highlighting the vital role of the diaspora in America's strained healthcare system.

Positive reactions poured in from across the Kenyan diaspora, with threads from @KenyansInUSA detailing Wanjiku's journey from rural Kiambu to top nursing schools in the US. "From shags to saving lives in NYC – this is the American dream Kenyan style," one user commented, garnering 5k likes. News accounts like @CitizenTVKE amplified the story, interviewing her family back home who beamed with pride. However, amid the cheers, some X conversations turned to challenges, with users like @DiasporaVoiceKE noting, "Mercy is exceptional, but many Kenyan nurses here work 60-hour weeks for peanuts. We need better protections."

Wanjiku herself responded humbly on X late Friday, posting: "God first, Kenya forever. Just doing my job." Her story has ignited broader debates on X about remittances and brain drain, with #KenyanHeroes trending briefly in Kenya and the US. As hospitals nationwide grapple with staffing shortages, Wanjiku's viral moment underscores the indispensable contributions of Kenyan professionals abroad, blending inspiration with calls for fairer labor policies.