Kindly help save my life, Ailing Mother pleads
AjabuAfrica.com
By our Writer,
ARLINGTON , Texas, FEBRUARY 11_ When the doctor broke the news to Phyllis Wairimu Githeng’u of Arlington, Texas, who recently relocated from Worcester in Massachusetts, that she is suffering from a kidney failure, the first thing that struck her was deep seated fear.
The fear of the unknown and the possibility of premature death due to the dysfunctional vital organ had a terrifying impact on her husband as well, Jidraph Githeng’u Kimani.
However, the couple, being staunch believers, reached deep into their well of faith and concurred that God will provide healing to the mother of 36 years. And since the grim diagnosis, the family is now asking their community, friends and well wishers for funds to help Wairimu get an urgent kidney transplant.
The kidney, a fist sized organ comes as a pair in the human body. Kidneys are an essential part of the urinary system, but have several secondary functions concerned with homeostatic functions. These include the regulation of electrolytes, acid-base balance, and blood pressure. In producing urine, the kidneys excrete wastes such as urea and ammonium; the kidneys are also responsible for the re-absorption of glucose and amino acids. Finally, the kidneys are important in the production of hormones including calcitriol, renin and erythropoietin.( wikipedia)
Failure of the organ to operate as it should, leave the blood that enables metabolism and controls waste products from the body, dirty and toxic. It also leads to many other complications including irregular blood pressure, and can lead to rapid death if not treated promptly.
However, kidney failure does not necessarily have to lead to a premature death; neither does it have to scare anyone, if the right things are done - quickly. There is usually no room for procrastination .Immediate dialysis is started in order to keep the patient’s blood clean and things running smoothly while a permanent solution is being sought.
Since once a kidney gets malfunctioned, it’s almost impossible to fix it, then getting a new kidney is the only answer that gives a fresh round of life to a patient.
To help a patient stay alive and hopefully live a full life as predetermined by God, the family has to start a frantic search to secure a matching donor for a healthy kidney. If they are lucky enough to get one, the potential donor would have to undergo a series of tests to verify compatibility.
Phyllis Wairimu Githeng’u , who is in dire need for a kidney transplant |
For those who are not lucky to get an immediate donor, they have to keep up with weekly dialysis at a qualified hospital for years while waiting in line for a possible well wisher who would donate a matching kidney to give the patient a second shot at life.
However, the availability to a healthy matching kidney is not the end of the road for many patients. Usually, Kidney transplants cost a lot of money, and if you were not lucky enough to have health insurance, then your chances of survival start to diminish.
As for to Phyllis Wairimu Githeng’u and her family, they are keeping their hope alive backed by their membership of the Kenyan community, which has always come to any one of their own facing dire challenges beyond human control here in the Diaspora.
Luckily for the 57 year Wairimu, blood tests results conducted in Kenya and sent to her doctors in Texas indicate that her brother would be a matching donor.
Her brother is now in the process of securing a Visa to the US for the operation to provide a kidney and save her sister’s life.
Wairimu and her husband, Jidraph Githeng’u Kimani, together with their three children arrived in the USA back in the fall of 2004 and settled in the city of Worcester, Mass.
As soon the couple started the hustle and bustle of a new immigrant’s life in America, the husband was hit hard by the cold weather of New England and developed Arthritis immediately.
“My husband was in so much pain from the disease. He could not even move at all during our first Christmas in America,” said Phyllis Wairimu, during a telephone interview with Ajabu Africa.com.
From then, Kimani was relegated to the indoors life and medication to keep the pain under control.
Just a year later in 2005, while on a regular visit to monitor a blood pressure condition that she had, Wairimu told her doctor that she was feeling a funny pain on the side of her stomach.
According to Wairimu, the pain was not too much and could not prevent her from doing her day to day activities.
But after her doctor at the Family Health Center in Worcester conducted various tests and found nothing wrong, he decided to refer Wairimu to a kidney specialist just to check if everything was alright.
When the specialist completed the tests, his report was not anything to be excited about. Both Wairimu’s Kidneys were failing and she needed urgent dialysis treatment.
“It was a complete shock to me. I did not expect this, and I was in total denial,” she said.
The mother of two was so convinced that the doctor was wrong and she initially resisted getting her dialysis started.
“I was wondering why God put me into such a situation, with my husband sick and not even able to work. I just wanted to continue with my regular housekeeping job that I had at a hospital so that I continue supporting my family,” she said.
However, after the initial shock was over, Wairimu started her biweekly dialysis at the hospital while still working hard to keep up with the house bills.
She said she was lucky to have very compassionate and understanding bosses and co workers at a hospital in Worcester because they did not complain or pressure her when she would occasionally be slow at doing things.
“Sometimes I used to come from the dialysis straight to work but they did not complain of my slowness during such days. I thank God for these people otherwise I don’t know what would have happened to our family,” she added.
Life became very difficult for this family as a result of the two ailing parents until some friends suggested that they move to a warmer environment where the husband could be in less pain and could work part time and practice his profession as a vehicle mechanic.
“Many friends suggested Texas as an ideal area, so we found a place in Arlington, and moved in February of 2007.Once in Texas, we found the environment far much warmer and conducive as compared to the bitter cold Worcester. At least here, I can go outside and work during the summer months to fix my customers’ vehicles and try to help my wife pay the bills,” said the 64 year old Gatheng’u.
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Due to the painful arthritis which is very sensitive even to the smallest drop in temperature even in Texas, Gatheng’u wakes up at 5am during the summer season to go fix cars.
”By 10am, I stop working because the weather becomes extremely hot and you cannot be beneath a car at this time because the metals are extremely hot,” said Gatheng’u.
It therefore still remains her ailing wife’s role to be a primary bread winner.
She still woks at a hospital in Arlington as a house keeper, just to maintain her health insurance and pay her domestic bills.
It is not a simple thing to do for a 57 year old mother desperately needing a kidney transplant.
Empathizing with the plight of the Gathengu family, the Kenyan community in Texas decided to organize a fund raising gala to help the couple meet the costs involved with the impeding long term treatment required after the kidney transplant is done.
Since Wairimu’s health insurance will take care of the surgery, she will have to take care of the very expensive medication she will be taking for a long time in the future to protect the fragile kidney she will receive form her brother.
The family is also going through a hard time financially since the ailing mother cannot keep up with the bills, especially when she undergoes surgery,” said Francis Gachoka Githuku, of ForthWorth. Gachoka is the chairman of the fund raising committee.
He added that the family’s plight shows us that nobody is indispensable and anyone can get hit with a disease anytime without any warning.
The couple attends the Trinity Ushindi church in Dallas, Texas, approximately 35 minutes ride from their home in Arlington.
“Let us just help them because today is me, tomorrow it’s you,” pleaded Gachoka to the entire Kenyan community, friends and well wishers in Texas, out of state and everywhere else including the UK.
The fundraising will take place on Sunday 21st February 2010 at 6504 Nicole Way, Arlington, Texas 76002 starting 3pm.
For those who may not make it to the fundraising venue, donations can be deposited at:
Bank of America
A/c No.:488027490956
Name: Pyllis Githengu/ Lydia Wambugu
Checks can be mailed to:
405 Cora Street, Apt 112, Arlington, TX 76011
May God bless you all as you prepare to give in order to save a life.
For more information contact:-
Jidraph Githeng’u Kimani
Tel. 817-323-4090
Phyllis Wairimu Githeng’u :
Tel. 817-323-7717
Lydia Wambugu
Tel. 682-558-0486
Organizing Chairman
Tel. 817-696-6633
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