Brian Kimani, 13, spent Valentine's Day Nairobi's Gertrude Children's Hospital because his family cannot raise the Sh15 million for his discharge.
Or even make a deposit and commit to a payment schedule.
Brian was admitted four months ago following complications arising from a bone marrow transplant for leukaemia in India in September last year.
His father Steven Kimani is a small oil trader; his mother Maryanne Wanjiku is a housewife.
“We did two harambees where we raised Sh7.6 million and Sh6.1 million. We had Sh1 million to raise Sh14. 8 to cater for treatment. This was from the time he was diagnosed at Kijabe Hospital until the day he was treated in India,” Kimani said.
"It is sad and a tough moment since we are looking for Sh15 million for our son."
“We took Brian to India for a transplant but his joy was shortlived after he developed another complication known as Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) arising from the bone marrow procedure,” family friend Patrick Kinyuanjui told the Star on the phone. He is in charge of raising funds to secure the child's release.
GvHD is a condition that may occur after an allogeneic transplant with stem cells from a matching donor, not the recipient's own body. The donated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells treat the recipient's body as foreign and the donated cells/bone marrow attack the body.
Brian, a Standard 7 student at Jabali Preparatory School in Ruaka, Nairobi, had a normal childhood until April 2018, when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, or blood cancer.
The leukaemia forced him out of the school for the last two years when he was in and out of hospitals.
The family took him to Kijabe Mission, Kenyatta Referral and Gertrude's until his condition was stabilised.
"He was flown to India for further treatment where he underwent a bone marrow transplant and returned to Kenya in May 2019,” Kinyanjui said.
The family said that Brian was readmitted to Gertrude hospital's ICU, HDU and later a general ward, where he has been to date after the family failed to raise Sh15 million.
“We appeal to all Kenyan of goodwill to assist us in raising this sum,” the family said.
The hospital head of clinical services Thomas Ngwiri declined to comment, citing confidentiality issues. "We can only talk about [him] if the parents are here,” he said.
The family told the Star that the hotel wants them to deposit security and make a commitment on how they will pay the balance but they are unable to do so.
"We don't have that kind of money," Kinyanjui said.
The paybill number is 763 563, account name Brian, or KCB Gigiri Branch account number 1234094266 under the account name Brian Kimani," the family told the Star.
(Edited by V. Graham)
