Dubai "Esther wake up, mother's here" echoed inside the room of Kenyan assault victim Esther Wanjiru Mwikamba at the Intensive Care Unit in Rashid Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

Hannah Mwikamba, Esther's mother, arrived early morning on March 2 to be by her daughter's bedside and has not left her since. Esther has been on life support since February 18 after a brutal assault by a man in a Dubai parking lot. The case is under police investigation.

"My daughter is still unconscious. As much as I try to talk to her and sing for her the songs she loved to listen to before, she still would not wake up," Hannah, speaking through a translator, told Gulf News during a visit in the hospital.

Not changed

Hannah said that doctors had told her that her daughter's condition has not changed.

"The only report we got was the same — unconscious, she has not gained consciousness yet," Hannah said, breaking into tears.

Asked what she first thought when she saw her daughter upon her arrival, Hannah said: "When I saw her, I thought she was dead. I panicked completely. My whole body became numb. I couldn't move; my whole body froze. But I really really tried to stay strong. I was so shocked when I saw my daughter surrounded by all the machines."

But she was able to breathe a sigh of relief minutes after. "But when I came close and touched her hand, I saw her chest move so I believe that she is still alive," Hannah added.

Association

Esther, the sole breadwinner of the family, has been battling for her life for the past three weeks.

But the fight is not hers alone. Scores of Kenyans have come to visit her in the hospital to offer prayers for her. A welfare association in the Kenyan community has been organised to aid the family during their stay in Dubai.

With this, Hannah said her heart overflows with joy and gratitude.

"I am so happy and so grateful to Rashid Hospital. They've been taking good care of my daughter. I am also grateful to all the Kenyans here, to all the people living in the Emirates because I believe that they are praying for her.

"I hope that they would continue praying for her because their prayers have been keeping her alive and their prayers will wake her up."