The toll of cancer

*Njoki’s pale, haggard face still holds signs of the beauty of her youth, but her body tells another story. From her prone position on her bed, she faintly acknowledges the newest member of the Love and Hope Centre (LHC) whom she can only identify by voice as her sight has long failed.

It is 2:30 p.m. and beside her lies a half-full bowl of brown porridge. The 53-year-old mother of six explains that she is having trouble eating today and this comes as no shock to Irene, the resident nurse at LHC.

Irene reveals that Njoki has been ailing from cervical cancer since July last year and that her illness took a turn for the worse towards the end of the year when she discontinued her medication.

“Njoki’s brother told her to stop going to the hospital because of his faith. He believed that she was healed and he would only assist her if she stopped the medication,” she says.

Her condition worsened and by September 2021, her children had turned to the streets of Nakuru to meet their needs. Fortunately, they were discovered by the Trinitarian Sisters through their rehabilitation centre for street children. Once her case was referred to LHC, the team visited and found her bleeding profusely. Their immediate intervention probably saved her life but it also led to a divide between Njoki and her brother.

Presently, a team from LHC is there to transport Njoki to Nakuru Level 5 Hospital for admission and chemo sessions. We are welcomed by her 11-year old daughter *Wairimu who wears a warm smile. She leads us into a two-room house, where Lucy is housed by a well-wishing neighbor, and helps her mother get ready for the hospital visit.

Njoki appears lethargic and she cannot carry her own weight. Any motion seems excruciating and she often groans in pain until she settles in a half seated, half-lying positionin the van, with her head resting on a folded blanket.

Wairimu is keen to accompany her mother to the hospital but her request is declined as Njoki needs the assistance of an adult. This role is filled by “Aunty” who we later learn is not a blood relation but a neighbour who previously worshipped at the same church with Njoki.

It takes roughly one hour for her to be admitted, during which time Njoki remains mum. At the oncology department, the nurses were quick in administering first aid and thereafter, Irene and a hospital administrator have a discrete discussion about the financial implication of the medical care and the modalities of LHC meeting the cost.

We leave Njoki in the caring hands of the medical team and the selfless Aunty who helps with the admission process. On the trip back to the offices, the team discusses the psychological support that the family will receive in the coming days.

Njoki is just one of 54 cancer patients that the LHC aids in their mission to restore dignity and alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people and marginalized communities. In her case, the Centre meets the full cost of treatment, transportation and even helps to feed the family.

In total, the Centre assists over 300 seriously ill patients with diseases ranging from stroke to cerebral palsy. This work would not be possible without the generous donations of all our well-wishers.

All names with an asterisk (*) are not the real names of LHC beneficiaries and/or their associates. It is our policy to refrain from printing real names to preserve the privacy of our beneficiaries and their associates.