Baby Rael Amojong was diagnosed at Gertrude hospital as having two holes in the heart when she was two months, a condition that can be rectified by carrying out surgery according to doctors.
The baby’s mother, Sarah Amunga, a resident of Malaba, said with her meagre earnings from her mama mboga business, she is unable to raise the money (Sh1.85million) needed to enable her daughter, who is now one year old, to regain her health.
“Family life changed ever since she was born, all our efforts and resources have been directed to her health, it’s very expensive to live with a child who has a heart condition,” said Amunga.
The numerous efforts by the family to organise harambee has borne no fruits as the family had only managed to raise Sh. 300, 000 the same amount that has ever since been used for monthly checkups at Kenyatta and Gertrude hospitals.
“We spend over Sh. 10,900 monthly on her drugs alone which is very costly to us as a hustler family. We have other kids and we need to pay their school fees and other necessities,” she added.
The family is now languishing in poverty having sold whatever they had yet no hope. They are appealing to the president William Ruto and first lady together with other well-wishers to help them raise funds to enable their daughter undergo heart surgery in India.
“My child is in immediate need of heart surgery but I cannot afford it so I appeal to the president elect Dr. Ruto and the general public to help me financially so that I do not lose my only child,” Amunga appealed.
According to Baby Rael’s father, Desmond Amunga, at two months, their daughter started having on and off sickness characterized by high fevers. It is when she fainted on their way from a clinic that she heeded the doctor’s advice of taking her child for checkup at Gertrude hospital or seeing a children specialist.
“We realised that our child had a serious ailment because even a simple flu would have her hospitalized. Yet this is not the case with other two children. I appeal to the public to kindly help me take Baby Rael to India for heart surgery,” said Amunga.
By Absalom Namwalo