A Ugandan athlete has been attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend and is being treated for burns on 75% of her body.

A Ugandan athlete living in Kenya was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend and is receiving treatment for burns on 75% of her body, police said.

Rebecca Cheptegei, a distance runner who finished at the 44th position in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked in her house in the western Trans Nzoia County.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei’s boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.

Cheptegei’s parents said their daughter bought land in Trans Nzoia to be near the county’s many athletic training centers.

  • Subtracty@lemmy.worldEnglish
    95·
    2 months ago

    What an absolutely horrific change in her day to day life over the course of a few short weeks. I hope she recovers quickly, although I hear that burn recovery is brutal and that her boyfriend goes to prison forever for such a malicious act.

    • Maeve@kbin.earth
      61·
      2 months ago

      I recently learned that debridement is scrubbing the burned area, usually without anesthetics, with wire-bristle brushes, to remove eschar and debris until it bleeds (ensuring blood flow to feed grafts or newly growing skin). May she received quickly and be made whole.

      • BassTurd@lemmy.worldEnglish
        20·
        2 months ago

        I did a job shadow at a PT clinic years ago. That’s where I learned that. Just scrape it all off until it eventually heals.

        I used to have a manager that once slid out on her motorcycle on some loose sand and got a bit of road rash. The recovery was similar.

        • Maeve@kbin.earth
          8·
          2 months ago

          Yes, any kind of wound with debris or necrotic tissue. There are other methods, but I would imagine it greatly depends on the depth and extent of the wound and necrosis/foreign particulate matter. I would imagine it’s also true of corrosive wounds (chemical burns, of anyone wonders).

      • Hobbes@startrek.websiteEnglish
        16·
        2 months ago

        I had this done in about 1 square inch on top of my foot for a staph infection I got after crashing my bike. It was insanely painful.

    • LordGimp@lemm.eeEnglish
      6·
      2 months ago

      Idk feel like they should have special circumstances crucifixion for shit like this. Maybe gender relations in Africa could be improved with one simple trick.

        • LordGimp@lemm.eeEnglish
          4·
          2 months ago

          Exactly. You commit violence against your neighbor and boom! The state comes and violently nails your ass to a cross. I’m calling it “the consequences of your own actions.”

          • Honytawk@lemmy.zipEnglish
            4·
            2 months ago

            Nor do you want the death penalty to return.

            Who is to say their neighbor didn’t burn her trying to frame the guy? If you aren’t 100% sure then you might be killing innocents. And you can never be 100% sure.

            • LordGimp@lemm.eeEnglish
              1·
              2 months ago

              Sure you do. Some people are simply a net negative to their society. For example, someone who burns an Olympian to death with gasoline over a property dispute. Or a sex trafficker who kidnaps women to sell into slavery. There’s plenty of good reasons to unalive certain members of our society. The violence is simply a deterrent

              • howrar@lemmy.caEnglish
                1·
                2 months ago

                Who is to say their neighbor didn’t burn her trying to frame the guy? If you aren’t 100% sure then you might be killing innocents. And you can never be 100% sure.

          • Tyfud@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            2 months ago

            You don’t want the state to get used to committing extreme violence with their citizens.