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.

  • @SubtractyEnglish
    101•12 days 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
      61•12 days 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.

        • Maeve
          13•12 days ago

          I feel that, to the core. I’m sorry, perhaps I should delete the comment to avoid distressing others?

      • @BassTurdEnglish
        20•12 days 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
          7•12 days 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).

      • @[email protected]English
        16•11 days 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.

        • @filisterEnglish
          6•10 days ago

          And then imagine this same thing done on 75% of her body. I really hope she makes it and fully recovers and I hope her ex boyfriend rots in prison for what he did.