Teenager misses university admission after Leukemia diagnosis

[PHOTO: MICHAEL OLLINGA/STANDARD]

When Samuel Thuo, 19, scored a B-plus in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams at Baringo High School, his family celebrated with song and dance. Scoring a B-plus was no mean feat.

He had missed the national exams in 2014 after he was diagnosed with leukemia at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret. He spent five months in hospital.

“He was put on medication and would commute from school to hospital every four weeks and sometimes go home for bed rest but that did not bar him from performing well,” says Peter Thuo, his older brother.

Two years later, Sam is back in hospital.

Leukemia was diagnosed again on August 19, just as he was about to report to Maseno University to study medical biotechnology.

“I was supposed to report to Maseno on August 15 this year but I could not make it because the condition got worse,” he says from his hospital bed.

“It has been a tough time but I am optimistic I will get out of it strong and actualize my dream of making a great contribution to the medical world.”

Thuo’s mother, Elizabeth Wanyuru, a widowed small-scale farmer in Elementaita, says her youngest child’s condition had cost the family over Sh2 million in hospital bills and medication since 2014.

SMALL INCOME

“Sam’s father passed on when he was only three years old. I get a very small income from farming. His siblings have been helping to pay hospital bills and buy drugs,” said Ms. Wanyuru.

Doctors at MTRH have recommended specialized treatment for Sam in either India or South Africa a bone marrow transplant, which they say is his only hope.

“The operation generally costs between Sh4 million and Sh6 million in India and South Africa respectively, and the earlier he gets help to go for treatment the better,” says Chris Mwaniki, an oncologist and hematologist.

According to Thuo’s brother, the family has been asking around for the best treatment destination and settled on Constantiaberg Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Cape Town.

“Treatment there will cost at least Sh4.5 million, which could reach Sh6 million when travel and accommodation costs are factored in. We heard about it following the testimony of a teacher in Nyeri who was treated there 17 years ago and recovered completely,” says Peter.

But their mother says the family has exhausted the last of their meagre resources. And unless a miracle happens, and happens fast, Sam might not make it to university.