From Pain to Purpose
I remember the day I received the call. The worst call any mother could ever receive- my 15 year old son had been violently assaulted at school by an older learner who took his phone as if entitled to it and when my son retrieved it back, he was punished for the audacity of reclaiming what was his.
He was attacked twice on the same night, resulting in a bruised body and broken nose which required reconstructive surgery.
Seeing my child go through surgery and the slow road of recovery broke something open in me, but it also awakened something powerful.
As I searched for answers, I began uncovering alarming statistics about bullying in our country. I realized that my family’s story was not an isolated tragedy, it was part of a national crisis that needed a voice. Writing You Are Light became that voice.
Through this novel and the Light Up My School campaign that was born from it, I’ve committed myself to helping children, parents and teachers build safer, more compassionate schools.
If you are reading this, I hope my story reminds you that no matter how deep the darkness, there is always light and that light begins with you.
Nandi │ Advocate for Safer Schools
The Light That Inspired a Movement
Behind every story of healing, there is a spark, a reason to begin again. For me, that light has always been my son, Sandisa.
After enduring that brutal assault at the school he trusted, Sandisa’s quiet strength and enduring kindness became the heartbeat of this book. His experience, a reflection of so many untold stories of pain, silence
and survival within our schools- transformed my grief into purpose.
I celebrate my son not for what he endured, but for who he continues to be - gentle, empathetic and full of light. His courage reminds me that our children should never be remembered for the harm done to them, but for the radiance they carry despite it.
And so, this story is for every child who was ever wounded in a classroom, every parent who still aches and every adult who is still
healing the child within.
May this book reach that place in you. May it help you release what still hurts as you carve your path to healing and restoration.