Wild Hope International
In Tanzania
Nadede’s Story by Peter and Tammy Russell
At the Awakening Youth Conference in June of 2026, Nadede Kukan stood before 100 Maasai young people to tell what God had done in her life. Confident and composed, she spoke of His faithfulness through every season.
In 2019, Nadede was a gifted student at Maasai Girls Secondary School in Monduli. She excelled in her studies, ranked near the top of her class, and dreamed of becoming an engineer. Her future seemed wide open. Without warning, everything changed. Nadede was struck with a severe headache that would not go away. As days turned into weeks, the pain intensified, despite repeated visits to clinics and hospitals. Finally, medical scans in Arusha revealed the devastating diagnosis—an infection had spread from her sinus cavity into her brain.
Emergency surgery was her only hope. Waiting with her parents Peter and Joloisa Kukan, Nadede lay across their laps in the hospital corridor, crying out through unbearable pain. “I trust you, Lord Jesus. Help me. I praise you.” Again and again, those words became her prayer. We soon found ourselves speaking by telephone with Dr. Rabiel, Tanzania’s first female neurosurgeon. She explained that attempting to transfer Nadede to Nairobi for more advanced care was too dangerous. The surgery would have to take place in Arusha the very next morning. After much prayer, Nadede’s parents chose to proceed, trusting God with the outcome.
The hours that followed were agonizing. At one point, Nadede’s father overheard nurses discussing a young woman who had died during surgery. Believing they were speaking about his daughter, he quietly walked outside to find a place to grieve. A short time later, Tammy found him with the wonderful news—Nadede had survived!
The operation had been successful. However, recovery was another matter. Months passed before she slowly regained her strength. Her vision struggled to focus. School became difficult. The surgical scar and shaved head were painful reminders of how close she had come to death. Little by little, God restored what illness had taken away.
He also planted a new dream. The young woman who once wanted to become an engineer, now wanted to become a medical professional like the surgeon God had used to save her life. With remarkable determination, Nadede completed her studies and earned a diploma in clinical medicine, qualifying as a clinical officer.
Today she diagnoses illnesses, prescribes medications, assists in surgery, and provides medical care in communities where physicians are few. Recently, God arranged a reunion that no one could have imagined. Nadede joined a medical outreach team serving remote Maasai villages in Longido District. Standing beside her was Dr. Rabiel—the very surgeon who had saved her life years before.
The patient had become a colleague.
The girl whose future once seemed so uncertain was now helping bring healing to others. As we listened to Nadede share her testimony at the youth conference, we realized that her story is about much more than surviving a life-threatening illness. It is a testimony to God’s ability to redeem suffering and transform it into purpose.
Nadede’s father and mother were among the pioneer missionaries who helped establish Christian witness in northern Tanzania. Nadede is carrying her parents’ legacy forward—not only by caring for people’s physical needs, but by boldly proclaiming God’s faithfulness to her own generation.
