Penina requires a kidney and blood donor/MUTHONI NJUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 17 – Penina Wambua is writhing in agony as she sits each day at the Kenyatta National Hospital waiting for a miracle to come her way.
When Capital News visited her at the female ward of the hospital, Penina was struggling hard to feed herself.
Looking sad, worn-out and helpless, Penina recounts the tragedy that has befallen her life as she seeks for help from well-wishers.
Diagnosed with diabetes in 2010, her husband dumped her leaving her with their two children aged 13 and 11.
“I did not know I was diabetic. I was in the farm when I got hurt… I was pricked by a thorn, and then I got a big wound,” she recalls.
Doctors had to amputate her left leg slightly below the knee. She had to stay in hospital until she got healed. Her husband never cared about helping her out with hospital bills, not even taking care of their children in her absence.
“Only my brothers and sisters were there for me. After leaving the hospital, I went back to my parents’ home together with my children,” she narrates.
Before she could even come to terms with life without one leg, Penina got shocking news after six months of recovering.
The 43-year-old fell sick again and when she went to hospital she was told that she had kidney failure.
“The doctors told me my kidneys were not working. So I had to start dialysis. And that is why I am on this bed today. I have nothing. This dialysis has used up all the money I can afford,” she explained.
Penina has to undergo dialysis every week.
Capital News spoke to Joel Obiero a nephrology nurse at Kenyatta National Hospital. He is involved in management of renal conditions such as dialysis and kidney transplant.
He explains that a patient requires Sh6,000 for every dialysis. “For patients with NHIF cards, they pay about Sh2,000 while those without have to pay the total which is about Sh6,000 for every session.”
For a kidney transplant, about Sh500,000 is required.
“But it depends on the patient and management of the transplant because sometimes someone takes longer to recover than usual. A deposit of 300,000 is required and they spend about Sh200,000 in routine screening and preparation before the transplant,” he explained.
Penina requires a kidney donor.
She also needs financial aid to help her go through the dialysis which she cannot afford at the moment.
She is now appealing to people with blood group ‘O’ positive to donate their blood since she requires it during dialysis and also during the transplant should she get a donor.
“Please those who can get something help me so that I can go through a kidney transplant and I stop with the dialysis which is too costly and I can’t afford every week. I also need a kidney donor,” Penina pleads.
Penina can be reached through her sister Ann Mutua on cell phone number +254 722 399 113.
Deposits can be made to A/C No 0700192154078 – Equity Bank.
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