A Kenyan first: Cancerous bone in boy's knee cut out, 'cooked', then placed back

Nine-year-old Nathan was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) on an area just above his right knee. More than three medical doctors suggested that the diseased leg be amputated but one specialist, Dr Nicholas Okumu, performed a first-of-its-kind surgery to salvage the boy's leg while also taking out all the cancer. This surgery is what Nathan, a football lover, player and enthusiast, was hoping for. [Gardy Chacha/Standard]

On a Sunday evening last August, a boy in Githunguri, Kiambu County complained to his parents of unbearable pain above his knee, prompting a visit to the hospital.

“The doctor ordered an X-ray, and when the results came out, he said he had osteomyelitis: an infection in the bone,” says Mercy Kibiro, the boy’s mother