Sister’s love means offering liver to fight cancer

After nine years of watching her sister Mwanamisi Bakari walk in and out of hospital, Fatuma Bakari decided she was ready to pay a heavy price.

She has offered part of her liver to save the life of Mwanamisi, who for long has suffered in search for treatment.

“Both my brother and I have offered to donate part of our liver to save our sister who has been undergoing untold suffering since she came back to Kenya from Italy,” says Fatuma.

Fatuma explains the agony they have undergone.

“Whenever she visited any clinic the doctors diagnosed that she was suffering from ulcers,” she says.

Fatuma recalls that even during her college days at Moi University from 2006 the doctors told that she was suffering from stomach acidity.

“Since she believed what the doctors used to tell her she kept own soldiering on with the ailment despite the pains she was undergoing.”

Mwanamisi, 29, is the Coast Development Authority Resident Civil Engineer.

The Moi University graduate also hold a Masters degree in Architecture from Sapienza University in Rome Italy. She says the problem dates back to 2008 when she started experiencing pains.

It was after return from Italy early this year when she realised he problem was worse than many doctors made her believe after face started darkening.

“She also had swollen belly which made her to seek proper medical attention from specialist,” narrates Fatuma.

It was at the Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa where the reality dawned on Mwanamisi.

 “A specialist Mewa Hospital referred her to Aga Khan Hospital for specified medical examination which now revealed she was suffering from liver and stomach cancer. I will never forget the moment when we took her to the hospital. She was very tired and somewhat exhausted,”explains Fatuma.

“My sister got was so devastated as she was undergoing utmost pains and decided to go public to ask for help,” she says.

Mwanamisi is appealing to well-wishers to help her raise Sh10 million to enable her undergo liver transplant at Appollo Hospital in India, one of the very few centres for Intestinal and Pancreatic Transplantation in the world.

Mwanamisi says it never occurred to her that she was suffering from such a serious ailment requiring a major operation.

“At first doctors told me I was suffering from normal abdominal pain which required painkillers,” she says.

Some even dismiss the dark skin on her as sunburn.

“As a woman the dark skin made me worried and I had to seek help from doctors who prescribed medicine for the burns.”

After medical checks in India, Prof Anil Vaidya of Apollo Centre for Cancer describes Mwanamisi’s illness as metastatic neuroendocrine tumour in her abdominal cavity.

In his report dated April 9, he cautioned that tumours were spreading to the lungs and that a surgical intervention was required.