25 years of pain: How a 5kg tumour denied a couple the joy of parenthood

Morris Odhiambo and Pamela Atieno, during the interview in their home in Nyakach, Kisumu County. [Rodgers Otiso, Standard]

On a quiet Monday afternoon, I arrive in Asao Location, Nyakach Sub-County, Kisumu County, about 44 kilometres from Kisumu town. The journey ends at a modest homestead, where a couple married for 25 years stroll hand in hand around their compound. There is laughter, warmth, and an unspoken bond that speaks of endurance. From a distance, theirs appears to be an ordinary love story. Yet behind the smiles lies a 25-year journey marked by infertility, pain, stigma, delayed diagnosis, and remarkable resilience.