Kenyan man survives bizarre Kidney failure, urgent fund raising needed for transplant

Stephen Kenja Kagotho(in white shirt) together with father, Joseph Kagotho Kenja, mother, Beatrice Kagotho, younger sister, mary Kagotho and his niece at their home in Worcester Mass. Kagotho is in need of funds for an urgent kidney transplant to save his life after a bizarre kidney failure at a young age. Pic by H.Maina/Ajabu Africa

By Eva Mukasa Nabawanuka, Ajabu Africa News, posted June 7, 2011

WORCESTER, Mass.,_The elder brother of the Kenyan man who narrowly escaped death by fighting a gunman in New Jersey recently, himself escaped death narrowly after suffering a bizarre kidney failure at only 42 years old.

Luckily Stephen Kenja Kagotho of Worcester, MA has found a kidney donor in one of his younger brothers but needs funds for the life saving but costly transplant.

In a concerted effort to save his life, Kagotho’s family together with an organizing committee has appealed to the Kenyan community and friends in New England to help them raise the needed funds to pay for the transplant procedure estimated to cost about $100,000 dollars.

 A funds drive is scheduled to take place this Sunday, June 12 at the Holy Name High School in Worcester at 3pm.

Kagotho’s family, led  by his father, Joseph Kagotho  Kenja, a well known Kenyan  community elder in Massachusetts were shocked to learn of the near death experience of their elder son and brother when he  limped home two months ago with his face, legs and arms extremely swollen.

 This was barely two months after their other younger son, Patrick  Kagotho was saved by doctors at a New Jersey hospital after bleeding profusely from a gun shot wound to his arm when he bare handedly fought off a carjacker intent on killing him.

When this happened, members of the Kenyan community in Worcester and other areas held a funds drive to help the young victim.

Now, the family has found itself in a similar predicament but has tremendous faith that the Kenyan community will not tire in helping them walk through the new tragedy.
 
 A truck driver like his younger brother, Kagotho hauls cargo for different clients from Boston MA to Dallas TX on a regular basis.

 It was during one run to Dallas that the young Kenyan fell ill behind the wheel.

“I left Boston for Dallas with cargo worth millions of dollars. But when I hit Raleigh North Carolina, I felt both my feet get so swollen that I couldn’t believe it. My mouth was dry, I was in pain and had no strength”, he told Ajabu Media during an interview at his parents’ house on 57 Park Terrace road in Worcester.

  Typical of most men, Kagotho said that he convinced himself that he would get better at the next stop, so he kept going.

  The man was able to reach his destination in Dallas, drop off the cargo and start the return trip to Boston.

  However, the pain would not go away and by this time, Kagotho just wanted to get home.

“I knew I had a kidney problem but I did not expect it to become so bad. I toyed with the idea of checking myself into a hospital but then I thought I would get better and kept driving, although in a lot pf pain”, he added, regretting his bad decision at that time.

Miraculously, he made it to his mother’s house in Worcester, a few miles away from his own house that he shares with his separated wife.

The former couple is going through divorce proceedings.

“When he entered the house, I took one look at him and I looked the other way. From then on, I could not look at my son straight because I did not want to see the pain he was in”, said his mother, Beatrice Kagotho, who is just thankful that her son is still alive. I give God thanks everyday and I know that he will get healed”, she added.

 “It was a miracle how he got here. We were all afraid of what we saw. The man was very sick. His face and his feet were all swollen and he could hardly walk or talk”, said his father, Joseph Kagotho Kenja.

Kenja says that he started feeling sick about two years ago, and upon repeated tests by doctors, they discovered that both his kidneys were 90% non-functional.

The bizarre prognosis shocked the doctors at the UMass Medical center in Worcester who were perplexed at the extend of the damage to the kidneys of the 42 year old man.

According to Kenja, the doctors concluded that the level of his kidney failure was consistent with prolonged poisoning but they could not pin point the cause of poisoning.

 As one of the  very first Kenyans in Boston to graduate as a Licensed Practical Nurse back in 1996, a few years after arriving in the US in 1993, Kagotho worked as a nurse until 1998 when he decided to try his hand in the trucking business as an owner-operator.

Stephen Kenja Kagotho

 “When I looked at the results of the tests, I immediately knew I was in a lot of trouble.
 The creatinin test that measures the functioning of the kidneys was elevated; there was blood in my urine”, said the ailing Kenyan.

 However, he did not start feeing really sick until September of 2010 when his feet started swelling and water collected in his lungs.

According to Kagotho, in December of last year, further tests showed that both of his kidneys were 90% damaged.

 “Nothing seemed not to make sense at all; thoughts and questions crossed my mind about what could have gone wrong,  and  who would help save my life by donating a matching kidney”, he said.

Since then Kenja has been receiving dialysis treatment that he self administers from his home since he is a trained nurse.

He added that he feels very tired all the time even when he goes to church.  He has become very anemic and has very many food restrictions.

Luckily, Benson Macharia Kagotho,  his 5th born brother in the family of 6 children was the first person to turn up for testing that is usually carried out on  the family of a patient before other donors can be sought, and  turned out to be an instant match when he submitted the testing at the Umass Medical Center.
 
“We were all so happy about this. We could not believe how lucky that was”, said the Kenya’s younger sister, Mary Kagotho.

  Since then, the younger brother has undergone further testing and procedures to prepare him for the surgery expected to take place very soon.

 According to the patient and his family authorities in Worcester are interested in finding out how the apparent poisoning, determined by doctors, which almost snuffed out the life of a promising and enterprising young Kenyan at an early age, may have occurred.
 
 Meanwhile, the family is grappling with the astronomical cost of performing the life saving surgery, which is running into almost $100,000 as it involves two individuals, the donor and the recipient.

Typically, most health insurance companies like what Kagotho has, do not cover kidney transplants as this is considered a personal choice as most kidney patients can live long on dialysis treatment.

  But according to Kagotho, dialysis gives a person a lifespan of about 5-10 more years. If possible, a transplant is the best option even though expensive, because when done successfully, it gives a patient a whole new lease on life.

 This is what the family and a fund raising committee is determined to give to the young man who is looking forward to getting married to his fiancée who lives in New Castle, Delaware.

 “We are just praying and asking Kenyans to come and help us raise the needed funds for the kidney transplant to save the life of my dear cousin”, said Lucy Muthumbi, a Kenyan gospel artist popularly known as a ‘Wasaimo’ who is an Auntie to the ailing young man.
 
 “It’s a very bad situation for a very young man to loose his kidneys no matter the circumstances”, said Lawrence Mwangi, the chairman of the fund raising committee.

   He decried the rumors going around in Worcester surrounding the circumstances that
could have led to the poisoning saying that they are not helping at all.

  “People should not dwell on the circumstances that may have led to the said poisoning. We might judge then we end up all being wrong”, he added.

 Mwangi appealed to Kenyans in the area to give the family the privacy it deserved and to focus on raising the $100,000 needed on Sunday for the transplant, in the same way Kenyans are used to helping a brother or sister in need.

  Many Kenyans in New England including those from the Kenyan community in the state of Delaware have expressed wide desire to stand together with the ailing colleague who has helped many and now is facing the biggest challenge of his life which requires a massive community support to save his life.  

“Uncle Kenja has been there for very many people who’ve had problems in the past including me. He taught me about truck driving which  I depend on even today for livelihood and  bailed many of us out  many times  when we had problems in business”, said Jesse “Karemba” Njoroge, a long time friend and business associate.

 “Let people come out to help and know who they are as Kenyans”, he added.

The event will start promptly at 3pm on Sunday.
144 Granite Street
Worcester, MA 01604-4501

Get directions

For more information, contact:
Lawrence Mwangi-Fund raising Committee Chairman: 413-231-7172
Joseph Kagotho Kenja: 508-736-5268
Jesse “Karemba” Njoroge: 978-328-8419

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